Michael Jackson's 'secret family' detail disturbing 'games' he allegedly made them play in new sexual abuse claims
Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse, which some readers may find distressing.
The US family who claim Michael Jackson abused them as children have shared disturbing new details about the late singer's alleged actions.
Earlier this year, the Cascio siblings - Edward, Dominic, Aldo and Marie-Nicole - filed a lawsuit claiming that the 'Beat It' singer was a 'serial child predator' who abused all of them at separate occasions throughout their childhood – allegations which the Jackson estate has since denied.
Speaking about their allegations in a new interview with 60 Minutes Australia, the siblings say that Jackson had abused them over several years, often calling them his 'secret' second family.
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"My parents were young. For them to have such a big celebrity want to be friends with them… they definitely felt special, and so did we," Eddie Cascio said.
"He made us feel like we were his family, his kids, his everything."
The Cascio's were first introduced to Jackson during the 1980s when their father, Dominic Cascio Snr, worked as a hotel manager where Jackson was a frequent guest.
"When you have the biggest superstar in the world in the 80s that wants to be your friend, you're vulnerable and easily manipulated," Dominic Cascio added.
"We were the Applehead club"
As the family grew closer to Jackson, each of the siblings claim they were molested by Jackson on different occasions.
Edward says he was abused for the longest period out of all of his siblings, claiming that Jackson began acting inappropriately towards him during the 1993 Dangerous tour.
"We were on tour, and that's when Michael started to get closer and started rubbing me on my legs. I was sitting on his lap, and that's when the first kiss happened, where he kissed me on the lips," he said.
After the incident, he said that Jackson would molest him 'almost every night'. The alleged abuse escalated over the years, including oral and penetrative sex.
Meanwhile, Marie-Nicole claims that Jackson would often ask her to undress before masturbating in front of her, adding that he had a 'secret code' to signal the encounters, while Aldo said the singer first molested him while they were lying in bed together.
Dominic alleged that Jackson would make him play sexualised games, including one called 'booty rumble', while also drinking his urine.
"I'm maybe 12 years old at the time. Like, I'm a child who's seeing this man do this," Dominic said of the alleged encounter.
The siblings were also initiated into something called the 'Applehead club', which was code for Jackson not only abusing the children sexually but also giving them alcohol, recreational drugs and strong painkillers such as Vicodin and Xanax.
'He gave me Xanax and Vicodin at 11 years old and told me I'd be floating and I would love it,' Marie-Nicole claimed during the interview, while the brothers said that Jackson would use code names such as 'Jesus juice' and 'Disney juice' to refer to alcoholic drinks.
What has the Jackson estate said about the siblings' claims?
Marty Singer, the attorney who represents the Jackson estate, has denied the allegations, branding them a 'desperate money grab' in a statement given to 60 Minutes.
"This lawsuit is a desperate money grab by additional members of the Cascio family who have hopped on the bandwagon with their brother Frank, who is already being sued in arbitration for civil extortion," he said, adding that the siblings had defended Jackson for 'more than 25 years'.
"This isn't the first time the Cascios have tried to leverage their association with Michael for financial gain."
Meanwhile, Mark Geragos, who'd represented Jackson in 2004, added to HuffPost: "Notably, these shakedown attempts come more than 15 years after Michael's death, thus carrying no risk of being sued for defamation. Sadly, in death just as in life, Michael's talents and success continue to make him a target."
Jackson, who died in 2009, denied all claims of sexual abuse during his lifetime.
The family had previously entered into a five-year agreement with the Jackson estate after first making their abuse allegations, with Pitchfork reporting they were given a total of $16 million in payments.
However, the Cascio siblings insist they are not launching legal action for money. "Anybody who sees your interview with the Casios or sees my 10-plus hours of sworn testimony of the Casios could not possibly conclude they were lying," said the sibling's attorney, Howard King.
"It's about justice, but justice always comes with a payment."
LADbible Group has contacted Michael Jackson’s estate for comment.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 10am-8pm Monday to Friday. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111, 24/7.
Topics: Michael Jackson, US News
Brenna Cooper