Accusing Family Caught in More Lies? – NY Daily News

[b]Youth involved in Jackson criminal case appears vital[/b] Posted on Sun, Apr. 18, 2004 BY MICHELLE CARUSO AND ALEC BYRNE New York Daily News LOS ANGELES – (KRT) – The young cancer patient who has accused Michael Jackson of sexual abuse is now a robust teenager able to withstand the rigors of a military camp and scale 8-foot walls, the Daily News has learned. He also has moved into a comfy condo on the upscale west side of Los Angeles, and his mom is driving a new car. It is a remarkably different picture from what the family’s friends have described. In the swirl of publicity after Jackson was arrested for allegedly molesting the boy in November, family friends said the boy was desperately ill – in dire need of a kidney transplant – and so poor that he and his siblings didn’t even have beds. Comedy club owner Jamie Masada, who introduced the accuser to Jackson, broke hearts across the nation when he described the 14-year-old boy’s failing health and grim living conditions in a series of interviews late last year. “He has only one kidney and it’s failing him, and part of his face is swollen up. … It just breaks your heart,” Masada told the Daily News in late November, adding that he donated bunk beds so the boy and his younger brother wouldn’t have to sleep on the floor. “They’re poor people, simple people,” Masada said. In late December, he told The Associated Press, “The kid is not doing very good.” Weeks after Masada’s heartrending media blitz, an in-depth investigation found the boy in good shape, despite his cancer bout, and strong enough to run, jump, scale fences and even hoist a rifle. Masada, silenced by a court gag order, declined to comment…. The Daily News learned the boy in early 2004 was practicing grueling rifle drills with the Sea Cadet Corps, a boot-camp-style youth group, hanging out with friends and enjoying family outings. The newspaper’s investigation also raises questions about reports of the family’s deprivation and poverty. The accuser’s mother was repeatedly seen driving her brand new red 2004 Volkswagen Jetta with a $21,000 sticker price, a big-ticket purchase for someone struggling to make ends meet. The family moved in with the mother’s new boyfriend, U.S. Army Reserve Maj. Jay Jackson (no relation to Michael) sometime last year. By January they had they relocated to a pleasant two-bedroom condo near L.A.’s posh Brentwood neighborhood – a far cry from their former run-down apartment on the city’s dicey east side. … On Jan. 21, the family’s former attorney William Dickerman told The Associated Press the family was “in hiding” from the media, adding, “They’re very private people.” However, 10 days later, the accuser’s mother allowed the boy and his 13-year-old brother to go on an unsupervised dining and shopping spree with a local TV reporter. Photos show Fox 11-KTTV’s reporter Barbara Schroeder and the boys cheerfully chatting on the Jan. 31 excursion. They lunched at a cafe, shopped at an electronic games store, where the accuser emerged with a bag of goodies, and spent 40 minutes at a video arcade. When Schroeder brought the kids back 2-1/2 hours later, the mom came outside to chat…. :ohmy :nav [url=http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/nation/8463413.htm]Read FULL Article[/url] :nav [url=http://forum.mjeol.com/index.php?act=ST&f=3&t=16115]Your Comments?[/url]