A Spy In The Jackson Camp?

An allegation that Michael Jackson’s record label placed a spy in the singer’s camp was the most interesting revelation in an otherwise uneventful third day of the superstar’s child molestation trial. The day was dominated by testimony from Ann Marie Kite, a publicity specialist hired briefly for the singer in the aftermath of ITV’s “Living with Michael Jackson,” said by some to be a publicity disaster.Kite was called to the stand by prosecutors to testify about the conspiracy allegations made against Mr. Jackson and a number of unindicted co-conspirators. She claimed there had been panic in the Jackson camp when the accuser and his family left Neverland in the middle of the night following the broadcast of the ITV documentary. She said that one of the unindicted co-conspirators, Marc Schaffel, told her that their leaving the ranch made him “uncomfortable.” She further testified that, later the same day, he told her “the situation has been contained” and the family had been brought back to the ranch. “I didn't understand why he would be upset about them leaving the ranch," she said, adding that she was told defense lawyers would portray the accuser’s mother as a “crack whore.” Kite’s testimony was undermined under cross-examination when she confirmed that she had never actually met the family or Mr. Jackson and that her knowledge of events was mostly third hand. She further acknowledged that she had only worked for the entertainer for six days, between February 9th and February 15th, 2003. Kite had been hired by her ex-boyfriend and Jackson attorney David LeGrande. She further alleged that, following her dismissal, she refused a request from then defense attorney Mark Geragos to sign a confidentiality agreement. "I believed it would negatively impact me. I believe it was designed to shut me up," she said. Record Label Spy The most intriguing testimony came when Kite hinted that a spy had been placed in the Jackson camp by the star’s own record label, Sony Music. She said she had learned that one of Mr. Jackson’s advisors, Ronald Konitzer, may have been working behind the scenes in an attempt to allow Sony to take ownership of the Sony/ATV music catalogue, which is half-owned by the reclusive superstar. Konitzer is also one of the unindicted co-conspirators. "You said that Mr. Konitzer was hired to isolate Michael Jackson and let him create his downfall so that Sony could get the catalogue back, isn't that correct?" asked Mesereau. "Not in those words," she replied, adding that she was aware of the importance of the catalogue and that "Sony was waiting for the opportunity to get the Sony catalogue back." There has been much public animosity between Sony and Mr. Jackson, arguably their biggest star. He spoke out against then chief Tommy Mottola who resigned shortly afterwards. Kite further alleged that she was also suspicious of other members of Mr. Jackson’s team. In an earlier interview with police investigators, she said she felt some of the singer’s team were not acting in his best interests. She named Schaffel, Konitzer and financial advisor Al Malnik and said she got her information from the internet and from Le Grande. "The ones you are most suspicious of are Schaffel and Konitzer?" Mesereau questioned. "The ones I was most suspicious of were those who were taking their eyes off the devastation that was happening to Michael Jackson," she replied. Her internet research revealed that Malnik was a “reputed mobster” and Schaffel was a producer of gay pornography. She thought their association with Mr. Jackson would be viewed negatively. After questioning from Mesereau, she confirmed she had no information that the singer himself was involved with the pornography. Kite mentioned that the Jackson camp seemed at odds with one another. "I couldn't discuss anything with anyone because they all had different agendas," she said. Prior Allegations Earlier in the day, following a question from prosecutors about other PR problems faced by the singer, Kite mentioned previous allegations made against the singer in 1993. Judge Rodney Melville has yet to rule on whether evidence from the prior allegations can be used by prosecutors. No charges were filed in that case. The defense objected to questions about 1993, and Judge Melville warned jurors to only consider testimony as it related to explaining Kite's motivations and not for the "truth of the matter." The trial continues in Santa Maria tomorrow. Source: AP/CBS/MJJForum/eMJey Source: AP/CBS/MJJForum/eMJey