A GRAND CONSPIRACY

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The Jacksons believed that it was all a grand conspiracy,
that the accuser’s mother was being paid by Jackson’s
enemies, who wanted to take control of his major economic
asset, the Sony/ATV Music catalogue, which holds publishing
rights to 251 Beatles songs and works by scores of other
pop artists. Jackson claimed that the main conspirators
were Sony Records; its former president, Tommy Mottola;
and Santa Barbara County district attorney Tom Sneddon,
the prosecutor, who also investigated Jackson in 1993.

The catalogue is held jointly by Jackson and Sony,
and Jackson’s share is mortgaged for more than $200 million.
If Jackson defaults,Sony has first chance to buy his half
as early as this coming December. (A Sony spokesperson said,
“We are not going to comment on any aspect of this.”)

Take General Maximo Overkill, for instance. That's his soldier of
fortune's nom de guerre. His real name is Gordon Novel, and he
moves in those spooky circles which he calls "high strange,"
where conspiracies flourish and cloak-and-dagger investigations
overlap. He cut his teeth working for former New Orleans district
attorney Jim Garrison on the J.F.K. assassination, and he boasts
that he served as former attorney general Ramsey Clark's "Doberman"
at Waco. Several weeks before the trial began, I was put in touch with
him through Steven Saltzman—the son of a James Bond–film producer
—in Monaco, who told me that Michael Jackson's brother Jermaine had
been seeking Novel's advice on how to stop the trial.

Happier times ?
Jackson explained to Novel that the conspirators had
introduced him to Al Malnik, a wealthy Miami attorney
who had once represented Meyer Lansky. Malnik later
helped Jackson refinance his loans. That was not what
Jackson told Novel, however. According to Novel, Jackson
said he was lured to Malnik’s house in Miami Beach by film
director Brett Ratner to see a house so beautiful it would
make him catatonic. He said that once he was there, however,
Malnik, who Jackson claimed had Mafia ties, wanted to put his
fingers in the singer’s business. Jackson also said he received a
call from Tommy Mottola while he was there, which aroused
his suspicion, but he did not tell Novel that he later put Malnik
on the board of the Sony/ATV Music partnership.

(Reached by telephone, Malnik scoffed at the idea of a conspiracy or of
his having any Mafia ties. He said, “It does not make any sense.”

Ratner confirmed that he took Jackson to Malnik’s house and that
he considers Malnik a father figure.)

Did MJ fake his own death ?
Jackson and Mottola have been at odds for years. In New York
in July 2002, Jackson staged a public protest against Mottola
with the Reverend Al Sharpton, calling him a racist and “very,
very devilish.” He called for a boycott of Sony, which is believed
to have contributed to Mottola’s ouster from the company six
months later.

Jackson is reportedly so frightened of Mottola that one of the
reasons he surrounded himself with Nation of Islam guards in
2003 was that he thought Mottola could put out a hit on him.
(Mottola could not be reached for comment.)
Jackson believes the judge, the D.A., and the Sony guys
are a conspiracy to take over his money.”

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