Category: MJ NEWS

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Comedy Kings Used in Bogus Benefits for Jackson Accuser?

Comedy Kings Used in Bogus Benefits for Jackson Accuser? January 4, 2005 :camera VIDEO:Celebrity Justice George Lopez and Chris Tucker are two of comedy’s brightest lights, but now it seems that the funny men may have been used as pawns in a scam involving the family of the boy currently accusing pop singer Michael Jackson of child molestation. “CJ” recently broke the story that the mother of the accuser got a community newspaper to run an article soliciting funds for the boy’s cancer treatments in 2000, even though the family didn’t have to pay a penny in medical costs because the father’s insurance covered everything. Lopez has strong ties to Los Angeles’ comedy club circuit, including The Laugh Factory on the Sunset Strip, and “CJ” has learned that several non-celebrities have also had strong ties to Lopez and the club, including Jackson’s accuser and his family. Lopez met the boy at The Laugh Factory’s summer camp for underprivileged kids, and when the boy was diagnosed with cancer in 2000, Lopez joined Chris Tucker and others to raise money for the child. “CJ” has learned that the family got tens of thousands of dollars from donations and various Laugh Factory fundraisers. In light of the fact that the family’s insurance apparently covered the boy’s treatments, the question remains: where did the money go? “CJ” has also learned that the family recruited Fritz Coleman, TV weather personality for LA’s KNBC and a stand-up comic in his own right, to do an on-air plug for a charity event for the boy held at The Laugh Factory on October 26, 2000. Though Coleman couldn’t be reached for comment, we’re told he believed the money was being raised for the boy’s medical expenses and that he’s extremely upset he may have been misled. We’re also told that Jackson’s defense team believes Lopez and Tucker were used as well.

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Did Jackson Accuser’s Mom Falsely Solicit Aid for Son’s Treatments?

Did Jackson Accuser’s Mom Falsely Solicit Aid for Son’s Treatments? January 3, 2005 :camera VIDEO: Celebrity Justice Even as embattled pop star Michael Jackson continues to offer words of appreciation for the support of his fans, “Celebrity Justice” has exclusively learned that the mother of the boy accusing Jackson of child molestation also went looking for support — but in a very different way. In 2000, when Jackson first met his accuser, an article appeared about the boy and his family in Mid Valley News, a community newspaper in the town of El Monte, just outside of Los Angeles. The story was an emotional appeal, detailing the boy’s illness, the toll his treatment was taking on the family, and asking for readers’ financial charity. “Our car has been repossessed” the mother was quoted as saying. “One chemotherapy injection costs more than $12,000.” Now, Connie Keenan, the editor of Mid Valley News, speaking exclusively to “CJ,” has characterized the accuser’s mother in a most uncharitable manner. “My gut level: she’s a shark. She was after money,” Keenan told us. “My readers were used. My staff was used. It’s sickening.” In 2000, Keenan told us, the boy’s mother approached the Mid Valley news and pitched her story: “She pleaded her case that her son needed all sorts of medical care and they had no financial means to provide it.” Keenan agreed to run the heartfelt story inviting readers to help, but recalled that, almost from the get go, there were red flags, including the fact that, according to Keenan, the mother, “Wanted the money sent to her in her name, at her home address.” And that was just the beginning. Keenan assigned the story to reporter Christie Causer, who was so moved by what she heard that, on Thanksgiving Day, she brought food to the family — but, according to Keenan, “The mother, instead of being grateful that this woman brought her a complete Thanksgiving dinner, said ‘I’d rather have the money. This is nice, but I’d rather have the money.'”