Fresh allegations involving Michael Jackson have resurfaced after a former associate made startling claims in a new Netflix documentary, Michael Jackson: The Verdict, about items he allegedly found in a bag linked to Neverland Ranch.
The revelations came just weeks after four members of the Cascio family, who once publicly defended the late singer, filed a lawsuit accusing him of ab*se and grooming.
Highlights
- Former Michael Jackson associate Vincent Amen leveled shocking claims in the Netflix documentary "Michael Jackson: The Verdict".
- Amen claimed that inside the bag was a n*dist magazine with circled catalog listings for video tapes.
- The fresh allegations emerged shortly after four members of the Cascio family filed a massive $200 million lawsuit accusing Jackson of grooming.
Jackson, who passed away in 2009, consistently denied all allegations against him and was acquitted of criminal charges in his highly publicized 2005 trial.
A former Michael Jackson associate revealed a bag from Neverland changed how he viewed the singer
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The allegations were made by Vincent Amen, a former associate who worked closely with Jackson between 2002 and 2003 and appeared in Netflix's Michael Jackson: The Verdict.
The documentary revisits the singer's 2005 criminal trial, which centered on allegations made by then-13-year-old Gavin Arvizo. Jackson was ultimately acquitted on all counts, but the case has continued to generate discussion years later.
Amen explained that he had once strongly defended Jackson against accusations of misconduct.
"I defended him," Amen said. "I wholeheartedly believed in his innocence."
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According to Amen, his perspective changed after Frank Cascio allegedly handed him a Nike bag and asked him to dispose of it.
Cascio, who grew up around Jackson and later worked as his personal assistant, was allegedly helping clear out items connected to Neverland Ranch.
Amen recalled feeling uneasy while driving home with the bag.
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"Frank cleaned out his house of anything that came from the Neverland Ranch. And he hands me a Nike bag," Amen claimed.
"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.'"
Amen said he began documenting what he found by recording videos.
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Inside, he claimed, was a nudist magazine called Naturally. As he flipped through it, he noticed what he described as a catalog section advertising videos that could be ordered.
According to Amen, several titles had been circled in marker.
"There were Sharpie circles around the video ordering section. Someone wanted these videos, circled the ones they want," he alleged.
Amen claimed some of the titles that had allegedly been marked included Nudist Youth Weekend and Euro-Nudist Family.
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He further alleged that when he confronted Frank Cascio about the magazine, he received an unexpected explanation.
Amen said Cascio told him it was "just a phase Michael and I went through."
Jackson's estate has consistently denied allegations of misconduct and has maintained that accusations against the singer are false.
As clips from the documentary spread online, viewers once again found themselves split over Jackson's legacy
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"Always thought he was innocent until I watched a documentary. I'm on the fence, something wasn't adding up unfortunately," one person wrote.
Others remained firmly convinced that Jackson had done nothing wrong.
"He was and always will be 100% innocent!!!" another commented.
"The evidence produced in a court of law proved him not guilty," a third person added.
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Several supporters argued that Jackson had spent years facing accusations without sufficient proof.
"Even before watching it, INNOCENT and he did not deserve all this stress. He deserved so much better," one viewer wrote.
"Absolutely innocent, he was trying to save the kids," another claimed.
Others expressed frustration that allegations continue to follow the singer years after his d*ath.
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"Ruining his life wasn't enough, so people are ruining his afterlife. It's so sad. Yes, his relations with children were 'different', but that doesn't make him a monster. Please, let him rest in peace," one commenter wrote.
Not everyone agreed.
"I think a lot of them lied, but I also think a few were telling the truth," another viewer commented.
"Innocent, he was a pure soul," someone else wrote.
The allegations surfaced shortly after four former Jackson supporters filed a lawsuit
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The renewed attention also comes as four members of the Cascio family pursue legal action against Jackson's estate.
As reported by Bored Panda, Eddie, Dominic, Aldo, and Marie-Nicole Cascio recently accused the singer of ab*se and grooming, despite spending years publicly defending him.
The family's relationship with Jackson reportedly began in the 1980s through their father, Dominic Cascio Sr., who became friends with the singer. Over time, Jackson grew close to the family and frequently visited their home in New Jersey.
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He reportedly referred to them as his "secret second family."
The siblings remained among Jackson's most loyal supporters during both the 1993 allegations involving Jordan Chandler and the 2005 criminal trial involving Gavin Arvizo.
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That changed this year when the four siblings came forward in a 60 Minutes Australia interview and later filed a lawsuit seeking more than $200 million in damages.
According to the lawsuit and interview, the siblings alleged that Jackson groomed and ab*sed them over a number of years.
They also claimed that years of loyalty and public support for Jackson were the result of manipulation and conditioning they experienced as children.
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The family said their perspective shifted after watching the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland, which featured allegations from Wade Robson and James Safechuck.
Jackson's estate has strongly denied the siblings' claims.
Attorney Marty Singer described the lawsuit as a "desperate money grab" and a "civil extortion scheme."
The estate has also pointed out that the siblings publicly defended Jackson for decades, including during his 2005 trial.
"He was found not guilty by the court," wrote one netizen
