Fresh discussion has emerged around past accusations of child sexual abuse connected to Michael Jackson, alongside a new claim about unsettling material he allegedly kept.
Michael Jackson: The Verdict is a Netflix documentary that revisits the singer’s widely followed 2005 criminal case, which stemmed from allegations made by Gavin Arvizo, who was 13 at the time.
The proceedings drew intense attention, and although Jackson was found not guilty on all counts, public debate continued long after the verdict, with many forming their own opinions about what happened.
Among those interviewed for the series are lawyers, journalists, and people who say they were personally connected to Jackson. One such participant is former associate Vincent Amen.
Amen says he worked with Jackson between 2002 and 2003 and had previously spoken in Jackson’s defence, claiming he once believed the singer was innocent. He also suggests he had insight into what was happening around Neverland Ranch.
“I defended him,” Amen said. “I wholeheartedly believed in his innocence [until I didn’t].”
Amen explains that his view shifted after a request from Frank Tyson, also known as Frank Cascio, who allegedly asked him to get rid of a bag.
Tyson is one of the Cascio siblings; Aldo, Eddie, Dominic, and Marie Cascio filed a lawsuit in April accusing Jackson of sexual abuse and grooming. Tyson was not listed among the claimants.
In Amen’s account, Tyson—who grew up around Jackson and later worked as a personal assistant—was clearing Jackson’s home of items tied to Neverland Ranch.
Amen alleged: “Frank cleaned out his house of anything that came from the Neverland Ranch. And he hands me a Nike bag. I took the bag and I’m driving home, and I felt, ‘Something’s a little suspicious.’ And I said, ‘Let me take a look in this bag.’ I start taking videos to document this. I open the bag. I start looking, and I see a magazine.”
He says the bag included a nudist publication titled Naturally. Amen claims that while looking through it, he found an ordering section for videos and noticed markings indicating particular titles had been selected.
He claimed in the doc: “There was Sharpie circles around the video ordering section. Someone wanted these videos, circled the ones they want. These videos, which are [of] children that are naked. Some with family, some just naked children.”
Amen says the circled titles included Nudist Youth Weekend and Euro-Nudist Family.
According to Amen, he challenged Tyson about the magazine, and Tyson responded by suggesting it was connected to something he and Jackson had previously been involved in, describing it as a ‘phase’.
In 2005, Jackson was acquitted of multiple charges, including counts related to molestation, administering an intoxicant, attempted child molestation, and conspiracy allegations connected to the Arvizo family and events at Neverland Ranch.
Jackson consistently denied wrongdoing throughout his life.
Michael Jackson’s attorney and estate were previously approached for comment.
Separate from the Arvizo case, Jordan Chandler became connected to Jackson in the early 1990s. Jackson met Chandler in 1992 after the owner of a car rental company offered services at no charge if Jackson would speak with the man’s 13-year-old stepson.
Chandler and his mother, June, later visited Neverland Ranch multiple times and travelled with Jackson to destinations including Las Vegas, Morocco, and Paris. During this period, Jackson was reported to have shared a room with Chandler.
In 1993, Chandler told a child psychologist he had been molested, and the allegations were reported to police.
A grand jury did not bring a criminal indictment the following year after Chandler declined to testify.
Chandler’s family then filed a civil lawsuit seeking $30 million and alleging claims including sexual battery, battery, fraud, and negligence. Jackson ultimately settled for $22 million.
Chandler has largely remained out of the public eye since.
Arvizo first encountered Jackson in 2000, when he was 10. At the time, Arvizo was undergoing cancer treatment, and Jackson reportedly sent him a gift basket while he recovered from surgery to remove his spleen and left kidney.
Jackson later visited him and invited him to Neverland Ranch that same year.
In 2002, Arvizo appeared in ITV’s documentary Living with Michael Jackson, which examined Jackson’s controversial practice of hosting children for sleepovers at Neverland.
After the programme aired, Jackson was arrested in 2003 and charged with conspiracy to commit child abduction and multiple counts of lewd acts involving a child.
Netflix’s Michael Jackson: The Verdict re-examines the 2005 courtroom battle. Arvizo told the court that Jackson showed him pornography, gave him wine, and molested him on two occasions. Arvizo’s mother, Janet, also alleged the family was held against their will at Neverland.
Jackson’s defence brought forward prominent witnesses, including Macaulay Culkin, and argued that the Chandler-related allegations were not credible.
The jury acquitted Jackson on every charge.
Arvizo has kept a low profile since the trial; the most recent update cited here comes from a family friend who told The Wrap in 2019 that Arvizo was considering attending law school.
Wade Robson met Jackson when he was five, after winning a Michael Jackson dance impersonation contest in 1987, and later spent time at Neverland Ranch.
Robson testified in Jackson’s defence during both the 1993 investigation linked to Chandler’s allegations and the 2005 criminal trial involving Arvizo’s claims.
Later, Robson built a career as a choreographer working with artists such as Britney Spears and NSYNC. He has said becoming a father in 2010 influenced his decision to later publicly allege abuse by Jackson after the singer’s death.
In 2013, Robson sued Jackson’s production companies, alleging Jackson sexually abused him for seven years starting when Robson was seven. The case was rejected, with the judge citing delayed filing.
Robson also appeared in the 2019 HBO documentary Leaving Neverland.
He is now described as a life mentor with a focus on teen dancers. Following a 2023 revival of his civil case, Robson and fellow accuser James Safechuck are seeking $400 million in damages from Jackson’s corporate entities.
Safechuck met Jackson when he was nine in 1986, when they appeared together in a Pepsi commercial. He has alleged that Jackson then began buying him expensive gifts and flying him for trips and visits.
Safechuck provided a witness statement supporting Jackson during the 1993 investigation.
In 2013, Safechuck filed a lawsuit alleging abuse on “hundreds” of occasions between 1988 and 1992, when he was aged 10 to 14. That case was rejected on the basis that it was filed too late.
Safechuck also took part in Leaving Neverland in 2019.
As described here, Safechuck is now VP of technology and innovation at AvatarLabs, a digital creative agency whose work includes projects related to The Avengers and Game of Thrones.
He co-hosts a podcast with Robson focused on interviewing trauma survivors, and he is married with children.