Man gets prison time for taping Jackson

[b]Man gets prison time for taping Jackson[/b] Arvel Jett Reeves sentenced to eight months for secretly taping pop star Updated: 9:25 p.m. ET July 24, 2006 LOS ANGELES – An air service businessman on Monday was sentenced to eight months in federal prison for secretly videotaping Michael Jackson as the pop star flew to Santa Barbara with his attorney to surrender in a child-molestation investigation. Arvel Jett Reeves also was ordered to spend six additional months in a halfway house that offers drug and alcohol rehabilitation treatment, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Shallman. He also must pay a $1,000 fine. Reeves and co-defendant Jeffrey Borer admitted they installed two digital video recorders to record “a professional entertainer” and his lawyer on a private jet from Las Vegas to Santa Barbara in November 2003, according to their plea agreements filed last September.

Phase Two in Jackson/Schaffel Civil Trial Set to Begin in Two Weeks – MB#315

Phase Two in Jackson/Schaffel Civil Trial Set to Begin in Two Weeks – MB#315 JULY 17 2006 – A split verdict in the Schaffel v Jackson / Jackson v Schaffel civil trial came down Friday (July 14). The jury awarded Schaffel $900,000 and Jackson $200,000. Before this lawsuit, Michael Jackson’s financial managers found that Schaffel had yet to be paid roughly $472,000 for his cut from the profits of two Jackson specials which aired in Fox in Feb 2003. Many observer of the trial were on the verge of being completely stunned that Schaffel would get a dime over the approx. $500,000 he was initially owed considering the evidence presented by Jackson’s attorney, Thomas Mundell, detailing what looked like Schaffel’s numerous financial illegalities. The Judge split the case up into two phases. As it turns out, only one of Jackson’s claims against Schaffel was heard by the jury in the first phase. The rest of Jackson’s claims for damages are scheduled to be heard in approx 2 weeks by the Judge during the accounting phase.

Forensic Accountant Cites Invalid Money Claims – MB#314

Forensic Accountant Cites Invalid Money Claims – MB#314

JULY 13 2006 – The jury is now deliberating in the matter of the civil suit and counter-suit between Marc Schaffel and Michael Jackson. Now Schaffel only wants $1.4 million instead of $1.6 million, which itself was cut down from the initial asking of $3.8 million.

Before closing arguments began, forensic accountant Jan Goren testified to digging through Schaffel’s financial goings-on. The forensic accountant found out a lot of things about the way Schaffel was cooking the books, so to speak, in relation to the bank account filled with Jackson’s money which he controlled.

Money dispute between Michael Jackson, ex-associate goes to jury

[b]Money dispute between Michael Jackson, ex-associate goes to jury[/b] LINDA DEUTSCH Associated Press SANTA MONICA, Calif. – A bitter money dispute between Michael Jackson and a former associate was placed in the hands of jurors Thursday after the singer’s lawyer portrayed plaintiff F. Marc Schaffel as a man who betrayed the star and urged them to “send him from this courtroom with nothing.” Schaffel’s lawyer contended in rebuttal that jurors should use a special logic in dealing with the case, a logic that exists only in “Michael world, not our world.” “It’s a world where a superstar professes love for Marc Schaffel and entrusts him … Michael world – a world without receipts,” said attorney Howard King.

[MJEOL NOTE: Schaffel is the only one without receipts and documentation. Jackson’s attorneys have presented documentation to support their case.]

Schaffel claims Jackson owes him $1.4 million in loans and expenses. Jackson countersued and his attorney, Thomas Mundell, told the jury that Schaffel actually owes the pop star $660,000.

Attorney says Jackson ‘useless’ in own business matters

[b]Attorney says Jackson ‘useless’ in own business matters[/b] LINDA DEUTSCH Associated Press SANTA MONICA, Calif. – Michael Jackson’s lawyer told jurors Thursday that a former associate suing the singer owes Jackson $660,000 and that the pop star owes the man nothing. Answering claims by F. Marc Schaffel’s lawyer that Jackson owes $1.4 million, attorney Thomas Mundell outlined every bill and claim by Schaffel and said the former associate was guilty of a breach of fiduciary duty and fraud in his handling of accounts for a business he formed to do work for the pop star. The allegations came in the conclusion of the defense argument. The case was expected to go to the jury after a rebuttal by the plaintiff’s attorney Howard King. In his argument, Mundell showed that the bank accounts for the business, which had once totaled millions, were virtually empty within a month after Jackson fired Schaffel. “The accounts were pretty much looted,” he said, and reiterated his claim that in the following year Schaffel tried to do a side deal to sell rights to a Jackson recording to a Japanese company, Music Fighters, and took $400,000 from that deal to make a down payment on his own home.