Mother in Jackson case back in court (AP) Updated: 2005-10-29 10:15
The mother of a boy whose accusations of molestation against Michael Jackson
were rejected by a jury made a brief and apparently reluctant court appearance
Friday on welfare fraud charges.
At first, the woman was absent from the hearing, sending her lawyer to handle
a postponement. But Superior Court Judge David Horwitz demanded that she come to
court. After a two-hour delay, she rushed in, clad in a jogging suit.
The Associated Press has withheld the name of the woman to protect the
identity of her son.
She is accused of perjury in falsely applying for welfare aid. Prosecutors
allege that she collected $18,782 in fraudulently obtained welfare payments
between November 2001 and March 2003, failing to disclose that she had received
a $150,000 settlement of a lawsuit against a department store chain.
The 37-year-old woman didn't speak during Friday's proceeding. Her lawyer
agreed to a postponement until Dec. 19 for further scheduling.
Accompanied by a friend, the woman rushed out of the courtroom with her head
down and refused to answer reporters' questions.
At the Jackson trial in Santa Maria, she invoked Fifth Amendment protection
against self-incrimination on the welfare fraud issue and did not testify about
it.
Jackson was acquitted of molestation charges in June. Many jurors said the
lack of credibility on the part of the woman and her children on the witness
stand were major factors in their decisions.
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