Jackson District Attorney Upsets Jersey Family
Friday, January 14, 2005
By Roger Friedman
PHOTOS
Jackson District Attorney Upsets Jersey Family
There was yet another leak from Santa Barbara District Attorney Tom Sneddon's office in the Michael Jackson case yesterday.
This time, it was grand jury testimony from the now-almost 15-year-old boy who's accusing the pop singer of molestation.
Isn't there a gag order in this case? Can't Sneddon be sanctioned by Judge Rodney Melville? And why hasn't he been already?
The testimony given by the boy is about Jackson serving wine to minors in his wine cellar.
I can tell you now, through my exclusive sources, this account will be refuted if it makes it to the stand. That's because Sneddon takes on Jackson's most ardent supporters and surrogate family, the Cascios of Franklin Lakes, N.J.
I've told you about the Cascios before. Dominic Cascio was a banquet manager at the Palace Hotel in New York when he met Jackson some 17 years ago. He was the married father of three, eventually four.
Jackson immediately embraced the Cascios, and vice versa. Sources tell me he appreciated their close-knit, loving family. Over the years Jackson has spent a lot of time at their house and reciprocated by taking them on trips.
The kids, three boys and a girl, have literally grown up at Jackson's Neverland Valley Ranch. They have had free access to all rooms in the house, including Jackson's fabled bedroom and bed, without incident.
The eldest child, Frank, who is now 24 and uses the nom de plume Tyson, has worked for Jackson in various capacities. He is cited as one of the unnamed, unindicted co-conspirators in the current case who is accused, unofficially, of holding the California boy's family "hostage."
My sources laughed yesterday when they heard the story of Michael serving wine to Frank's 15-year-old sister, 12-year-old brother and the accuser and his brother.
"The wine cellar, as it's known, is located right behind the game room. The kids break into it all the time. I caught [the accuser and his brother] down there myself once. It's not hard," my source said.
Here's the problem as it's been laid out for me. The Cascios, who operate two family restaurants in northern New Jersey, are Italian-American and have always let their kids have a sip of wine here and there. If they are called to testify in the case, they will explain that it's in their culture.
The daughter, who is a minor nevertheless, will no doubt say that she knew where the wine cellar was and didn't need Jackson's help for access to it. The 12-year-old son does not drink, which has also been verified.
But here's the rub, my sources say: The brother and sister were on the private plane that took Jackson, his kids, his nanny, the accusing family and a doctor back to Neverland Ranch from Miami on Feb. 7, 2003.
This is the flight that also included comedian Chris Tucker and on which, it's been alleged, Jackson licked his accuser's head and drank wine out of Diet Coke cans.
The Cascio kids are likely to say on the stand that none of that happened, or could have happened. And that would open an area that Tom Sneddon might not want to get into.
Curiously, even though Sneddon leaked this information yesterday, he has not subpoenaed any of the Cascios, including Frank Tyson. And the Cascios, I am told, are furious that he involved their minor children in a publicity scheme to promote the prosecution's case.
More to come...
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,144362,00.html
Friday, January 14, 2005
By Roger Friedman
PHOTOS
Jackson District Attorney Upsets Jersey Family
There was yet another leak from Santa Barbara District Attorney Tom Sneddon's office in the Michael Jackson case yesterday.
This time, it was grand jury testimony from the now-almost 15-year-old boy who's accusing the pop singer of molestation.
Isn't there a gag order in this case? Can't Sneddon be sanctioned by Judge Rodney Melville? And why hasn't he been already?
The testimony given by the boy is about Jackson serving wine to minors in his wine cellar.
I can tell you now, through my exclusive sources, this account will be refuted if it makes it to the stand. That's because Sneddon takes on Jackson's most ardent supporters and surrogate family, the Cascios of Franklin Lakes, N.J.
I've told you about the Cascios before. Dominic Cascio was a banquet manager at the Palace Hotel in New York when he met Jackson some 17 years ago. He was the married father of three, eventually four.
Jackson immediately embraced the Cascios, and vice versa. Sources tell me he appreciated their close-knit, loving family. Over the years Jackson has spent a lot of time at their house and reciprocated by taking them on trips.
The kids, three boys and a girl, have literally grown up at Jackson's Neverland Valley Ranch. They have had free access to all rooms in the house, including Jackson's fabled bedroom and bed, without incident.
The eldest child, Frank, who is now 24 and uses the nom de plume Tyson, has worked for Jackson in various capacities. He is cited as one of the unnamed, unindicted co-conspirators in the current case who is accused, unofficially, of holding the California boy's family "hostage."
My sources laughed yesterday when they heard the story of Michael serving wine to Frank's 15-year-old sister, 12-year-old brother and the accuser and his brother.
"The wine cellar, as it's known, is located right behind the game room. The kids break into it all the time. I caught [the accuser and his brother] down there myself once. It's not hard," my source said.
Here's the problem as it's been laid out for me. The Cascios, who operate two family restaurants in northern New Jersey, are Italian-American and have always let their kids have a sip of wine here and there. If they are called to testify in the case, they will explain that it's in their culture.
The daughter, who is a minor nevertheless, will no doubt say that she knew where the wine cellar was and didn't need Jackson's help for access to it. The 12-year-old son does not drink, which has also been verified.
But here's the rub, my sources say: The brother and sister were on the private plane that took Jackson, his kids, his nanny, the accusing family and a doctor back to Neverland Ranch from Miami on Feb. 7, 2003.
This is the flight that also included comedian Chris Tucker and on which, it's been alleged, Jackson licked his accuser's head and drank wine out of Diet Coke cans.
The Cascio kids are likely to say on the stand that none of that happened, or could have happened. And that would open an area that Tom Sneddon might not want to get into.
Curiously, even though Sneddon leaked this information yesterday, he has not subpoenaed any of the Cascios, including Frank Tyson. And the Cascios, I am told, are furious that he involved their minor children in a publicity scheme to promote the prosecution's case.
More to come...
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,144362,00.html
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