New
allegations against prosecutor of Michael Jackson
By
K.C. Arceneaux
RAW STORY COLUMNIST
On April 30, 2004, the indictment against pop-star Michael
Jackson was unsealed, allowing the press and the public
to view the charges against him. Jackson has been charged
with four counts of committing a lewd act upon a child,
one count of attempting to commit a lewd act upon a
child, and four counts of administering an intoxicating
agent.
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The additional charge
of conspiracy, not included in the first set of charges
against him, included twenty-eight separate criminal
acts. Those alleged acts include child abduction, child
imprisonment, and extortion. Jackson pleaded not guilty
to all counts.
On the same day that the indictment was unsealed, there
was another and far less public event unfolding, one
that may have a future impact on the Jackson case. Serious
allegations of a pattern of abuses among Santa Barbara
law enforcement and the DA's office, including District
Attorney Tom Sneddon, were made by Santa Barbara County
dentist, Thambiah Sundaram, in an interview on Online
Legal Review Talk Radio. Sneddon is the DA prosecuting
the child-molestation case against Michael Jackson.
In the interview, conducted by Ron Sweet, Sundaram stated
that there was opposition to a non-profit medical clinic
he operated.
Sundaram said that when city officials were unable
to shut down his clinic, he was arrested on multiple
counts, including impersonating a doctor, grand theft,
and malicious mischief. Sundaram's wife was arrested,
as well. An employee at the clinic was also charged,
of committing a drive-by shooting. Neither Sundaram,
his wife nor the employee were convicted. Sundaram said
that he eventually won a judgment against Sneddon and
the DA's office for a substantial, six-figure amount,
for causes including conspiracy, false imprisonment,
and other violations of his civil rights.
Sundaram's allegations against Sneddon were serious,
in that he also claimed to have heard, first-hand, statements
by Sneddon and others in the DA's office that suggest
that Santa Barbara police persecution of innocent citizens
is planned, common, and often racially motivated. Sundaram
said that in 1994, he attended a fund-raising event
with Tom Sneddon and other city officials, where ways
to "get Michael Jackson out of the county"
were discussed. Racist remarks were allegedly made on
that occasion. According to Sundaram, other alleged
vendettas were discussed as well, to the extent where
he said it resembled a Mafia planning session.
Sundaram's allegations are not an isolated instance.
There have been many complaints and law-suits against
the Santa Barbara DA's office. The new counts against
Jackson may be consistent with a pattern that Santa
Barbara defense attorney Gary Dunlap has called "stacking
charges." In an interview on MJJF Talk Radio, on
January 2, 2004, Dunlap gave his opinion that "stacking
charges" was a common practice of the DA's office,
and claimed that this was a tactic used against him.
Sneddon had charged and prosecuted Dunlap on twenty-two
counts. After being acquitted on all counts, Dunlap
is currently suing Sneddon and others in the DA's office
for $10 million for malicious prosecution, and multiple
other alleged offenses, including civil rights violations.
Dunlap said, ". . . I mean, it's one thing to be
charged with one crime and have a trial and be acquitted
on it, but the district attorney in Santa Barbara has
a policy that if they throw enough charges against you,
the jury is bound to convict you on something."
The above cases add to the pattern of what may be law
enforcement abuses of power in Santa Barbara. There
are multiple civil cases alleging false arrests, physical
brutality by the police, tampering with evidence and
perjury, in cases settled out of court, at tax-payer's
expense. There is the example of George Beeghly, whose
case against Santa Barbara law-enforcement was also
settled out of court. The defendants in the case were
Santa Barbara Sheriff Jim Thomas, and Santa Barbara
police officers. Beeghly sued for illegal search and
seizure, false arrest and false imprisonment, the use
of excessive force, conspiracy to violate his civil
rights, battery and failure to investigate, among other
charges.
This information reveals a new side to the Michael
Jackson child-molestation case. The extent of the law
suits for false arrests, false imprisonments, condoning
of excessive force by the police, tampering with evidence,
and multiple civil rights violations suggests a culture
of corruption among Santa Barbara law-enforcement. The
taxpayers of Santa Barbara have paid substantial settlements
in these cases.
DA Tom Sneddon's public relation's firm, Tellem Worldwide,
was contacted and, citing a protective order as prohibiting
their ability to respond, has declined to comment. It
remains unclear how the allegations made by Dr. Sundaram
and the cases involving Beeghly and Dunlap are affected
by the protective order issued in the Jackson case.
When Gary Dunlap was asked, in his interview, to comment
on the Jackson case, he said that he had no opinion
one way or another on the case. However, he went on
to say, ". . . the very fact that he's being prosecuted
by Sneddon's office does not cause me to have any reason
to believe that he's guilty in that, because of what
I know about the district attorney's office, I know
that they do vindictive prosecutions on a routine basis."
If Dunlap's allegations are true, then an investigation
of the DA's office might shed new light on the Jackson
case.
Author K. C. Arceneaux, Ph.D., is
a Pushcart nominee and winner of a Tara Fellowship from
the Heekin Group. e-mail karcx@yahoo.com
First North American Serial Rights, Copyright May 12,
2004.
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