Posted by APRIL 26 2005 (3:15PM ET) — Major credibility problems for yet another prosecution witness: Cynthia Montgomery. Montgomery is currently under federal investigation in relation to a Michael Jackson flight in Nov 2003 being bugged with audio and video recording equipment. The tape of that illegally taped flight was then shopped around to various media for sale. Montgomery was also a friend of Schaffel’s. And, according to an CNN report, Schaffel was involved in some form with that plot to tape Jackson on that flight. Montgomery tried to sell the story that Marc Schaffel asked her to book one-way tickets to Brazil for the four members of the Arvizo family. Under cross-examination, Jackson attorney Tom Mesereau revealed that Montgomery wouldn’t even be testifying had she not struck an immunity deal; making the point that she initially was going to refuse to testify and plead the 5th Amendment not to incriminate herself. The immunity deal she was given was reportedly to protect her from being prosecuted based on questions she would be asked in court. Savannah Guthrie (Court TV) reports that Mesereau also established on cross-examination that there were no one-way tickets to Brazil. They never existed. First, it’s coming out now that it’s not even possible to book one-way tickets to Brazil. What’s already become public knowledge is that Marc Schaffel travels to Brazil quite frequently, so it’s not a stretch to say that he would know that it’s not possible to book one-way tickets to Brazil. So why would he ask Montgomery to do that? The prosecution doesn’t have an answer to that, according to the reports thus far. Second, one-way tickets were never actually purchased, according to Guthrie. So this is apparently the word of Montgomery against Schaffel. The defense pointed out that Montgomery is suing Michael Jackson in another court. Also, she is being sued by both Jackson and Mark Geragos in relation to that bugged flight where conversations between Jackson and Geragos were recorded and offered up to the highest bidder. Mesereau also made the point that Montgomery never spoke to Jackson himself about booking these tickets to Brazil. Some observers have already suggested that apparently there wasn’t much force to get them to Brazil because according to her testimony, Schaffel later told her that the family would not be going to Brazil after all. I’m not sure how many “kidnappers” give their “hostages” a choice about what they want to do. So now we have a situation of there not being any one-way tickets to Brazil, it’s an impossibility to book one-way tickets to Brazil, and the family never went to Brazil. Added to those facts is the reason the prosecution is claiming the family was initially held hostage was to tape a glowing interview about Jackson. However, the Arvizo interview was never included in the final cut of the Fox rebuttal special “Take Two: The Footage You Were Never Meant to See” (Fox rebuttal special) which aired Feb 20 2003. Some legal observers say it’s illogical to believe that Jackson would order the kidnapping of a family to do an interview clearing him, and NOT even show that interview in the broadcast version of the Fox rebuttal special.
APRIL 26 2005 (12:41 PM ET) — Cynthia Montgomery is currently on the stand under direct questioning. She is currently under federal investigation in relation to the bugging of Michael Jackson’s plane ride to Santa Barbara when he came to get booked on initial charges. Montgomery is also currently suing Jackson. Surprise, surprise. Unlike what was reported previously by pro-prosecution pundits, it has come out that the tickets to Brazil for the accusing family were roundtrip tickets, not one-way tickets. Montgomery claims that Marc Schaffel instructed her to purchase one-way tickets to Brazil. As far as the reporting goes right now, we don’t know if cross-examination has started. But it has already come out in previous reports that Schaffel travels back and forward to Brazil quite often. Some observers say that as much as he travels there, he would definitely know that it’s not possible to buy one-way tickets to Brazil and wouldn’t instruct anyone to do such a thing. The fact that the tickets are roundtrip, coupled with the fact that no one could have secured passports for this family without their cooperation, paint a far different tale than the one the talking heads are trying to push.