Keeping the Facts Strait on Michael’s Finances, Branca and Sony

July 6, 2010 – Keeping the Facts Strait on Michael’s Finances, Branca and Sony



In studying Michael, I have learned probably more than I would otherwise have had an opportunity in my lifetime. In the beginning of this I had asked God so many times why I had been burdened with the sudden and intense draw to his story. Even the answer to that prayer has evolved over the time between last June and now.



My draw to Michael was the the minister on my facebook page that attacked him, which prompted me to defend him. This lead to searching for resources to verify my defense of him which lead to the first interview on Youtube in which I heard Michael talk about God. My first “wow” moment with Michael. The second “wow” was learning the similarities in childhood pain, and the third was the similarities in my own son and my need to protect him.



After that I dug deeper and deeper until I learned about his childhood, his stage career, recording career, his philanthropic work, his intense empathy for children and a desire to return people to a more innocent time and frame of mind. He tried to accomplish this in his music, through the décor of his home and property until it was all sidetracked and destroyed systematically by an entity that Michael originally supported. Sony Music's Greed.



After learning what I could about Michael (still learning), I also learned to see what he saw through his eyes, about the workings of the music industry, public life, fans. I could feel the frustration of not knowing who you could trust. What it felt like when one of you employees whispers in your ear about the evils of another employee, the fight amongst them for control and every one of them stealing from you in one degree or another.



On top of fighting your music label for the royalties due you, manipulation of your contract, proper funding for your videos that they require and lack of control over public appearances to promote an album, you suddenly find out that previous lawyers and business associates conspired to drive you into involuntary bankruptcy and it all centers around your half of a company that has ballooned in value since you bought it 15 years before.



Let’s not forget the press, which is another battle all by itself, and which despite the fact you have behaved yourself and acted more normal than MOST people in your industry, they have put out stories about you that have steered public opinion into believing you were a freak. You were a danger to the very children you loved, saved, held and cried over, a drug addict, a fallen pop star, an ego-maniac, financially insolvent, immature, gay, pedophile, wacko, ashamed of your ethnicity, took female hormones, (am I missing anything?) asexual, a spendthrift, out of touch with reality, etc, etc, etc.



Even today, the yarns continue to spin. People are busy trying to re-write Michael Jackson history. I was told yesterday (or shown) that John Branca was hired back by Michael in 2006. If that is the case, why is there no evidence or mention of him being hired back? Why didn’t Raymone Bain ever mention him since SHE is the one that was supposed to be managing Michael’s business during that time period?



This is Michael’s timeline during 2006: Michael hires a new accounting firm, it mentions Raymone Bain, and it mentions Tom Mesereau no longer Michael’s attorney (from 2005 trial) but remain friends, Michael hires Guy Homes as his new manager on April 18th of 2006. Then in June of 2006, Michael did a house cleaning and severed ties with his long-time accounts and business managers, Bernstein, Fox, Whitman, Goldman & Sloan, with Bahrani attorneys Qays Zu’bi and Grahame Nelson, and Gut Records executive, Guy Holmes.



In August of 2006, Michael discovers evidence of former lawyers and business managers conspiring to defraud him and force him into involuntary bankruptcy. Whatever happened to this case? The people were never named, but funny that Branca claims to have been hired back by Michael during this year, only to “leave” of his own accord because of the people Michael surrounded himself with. Where oh where did John Branca appear, at ALL by Michael’s side during this time? He DIDN’T. And the people being defrauded now by this nonsense are Michael’s fans.



Also the refinancing of loans previously held by Bank of America made in statement on April 13 of that year:



"Following negotiations with several leading financial institutions, Mr. Jackson has concluded refinancing with affiliates of Fortress Investment Group, the lender that currently holds secured debts that were previously held by Bank of America," Qays H. Zubi Attorneys & Legal Consultants was part of an advisory team that included Bahrain-based financial adviser Ahmed Al Khan, it said.



At that time, Fortress held the note on “Neverland” and Michael’s other debts.



“The deal ultimately would require Jackson to sell half of his 50 percent share in the catalogue to Sony, the Wall Street Journal and New York Times reported Thursday, citing anonymous sources familiar with the negotiations.” This is where most people are taking for granted that Sony ever got that controlling interest.



The Wallstreet article in question states that as part of this deal with Fortress, that Michael “had to give Sony the OPTION of buying” half of Michael’s 50% share. This was to prevent Fortress from owning a quarter of the catalog if Michael were to default. Sony didn’t want another party involved in the catalog should Michael default. They wanted control. Reference here



It was also passed through the grapevine of blogs that Sony obtained that five percent when Michael “went to Sony for help” in saving Neverland Ranch and to keep from defaulting on his loans. Did this ever happen?



According to this article, the loan was sold by Fortress to Colony Capital in May of 2008, averting foreclosure. Sony still has the first option of purchasing half of Michael’s catalog share, but it never happened because no default ever happened. Colony swooped in and bought the loans. Reference: Fortress Sold to Colony -



The AllGood mess, which DiLeo was involved in really had nothing to do with Michael other than the fact that Michael was mentioned. Michael never signed a contract with them and to my knowledge, neither did any of his brothers or sisters for a family tour. Allgood did file a lawsuit for breech of contract, but he named DiLeo and AEG, not Michael himself in the lawsuit. The copy of the contract that I have shows on DiLeo’s signature and it’s a contract of “intent” on DiLeo’s part. If that “notice of intent” is enforceable, consideration would have had to have been paid. If DiLeo was paid anything in advance, then DiLeo is liable. AEG would not be, since AEG had nothing to do with that deal. The $300 million suit was thrown out, but they are going to hear the case for breach of contract with DiLeo.



What happened with Michael between 2006 and 2009 is enough to make your head spin. The popular story is that Michael was constantly having to fire people to keep those trying to force him into bankruptcy away from him.



What it is starting to look like to me is a shell game, from both sides . . . Michael trying to outpace those trying to drag him down. The three different managers jockeying for position right around the time of his death? Tohme, then Lowe, then DiLeo and they all overlap. Then as DiLeo enters, Michael “fires” Tohme, then he fires “Lowe”. Which shell is the peanut under now? This is a FUN game . . . but the house always wins. All we have to do is find out who the house is.



There is a copy of a court transcript supposedly from May 13, 2005 of Michael’s trial. The version that I have seen and copied was actually linked to another blog, here and it is not even a verifiable court transcript. There is no seal, it might as well be a word document copied and pasted.



Now Weitzman, the “other” co-executor of Michael’s estate (McClain is MIA most of the time) is now embroiled in the controversy surrounding the rape of Kurt Cobain’s estate. Reference



Millions have been bilked in cash and real estate deals (flipping) using bank accounts set up with the social security numbers of Courtney Love and Francis Bean, Kurt’s daughter.



This is the same gentleman I showed you in a previous blog that Judge idiot hired to represent Michael’s CHILDREN on Michael’s estate, AFTER that attorney represented BRANCA against Katherine when she initially challenged the temporary executors! (This was judge Beckloff and I talked about that deal in this blog update)



People are out there, spreading these lies, and you can bet there are trolls out there scanning blog and social network conversations and putting up their own “damage control”.



Judge Beckoff is a paid hack. He doesn’t work for the state of California, he works for whatever corporation pays him to call off the dogs. Most of your judges in California do because thanks to Sneddon and the State Attorney General of that time, that law was changed to make it okay! This is what Richard Fine was fighting and currently sitting in jail for!



I can’t even tell you how angry this is making me! The misinformation that is being put out there. This is searchable information! Branca was most certainly in suspicion when Interfor was hired to investigate the connection with Sony and Branca. Improprieties were found and Sony/Mottola DID wire money to Branca. Whether that money came from Michael’s accounts remains to be seen. But a conflict of interest did exist and Branca WAS NOT HIRED BACK in 2006.



Did Michael hire Branca back in 2009 eight days before he died? I seriously doubt it. Michael was so busy being drug out of bed to rehearsals during the last couple weeks before he died (according to emotional accounts from various people), he didn’t seem much interested in meeting with any past employees, let alone one of the ones he suspected put him in that condition!



Seems there is another version of the same court transcript here:



Well! Explain that one, Mr. Branca!
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http://michaelsguardian.blogspot.com/2010/07/keeping-facts-strait-on-michaels.html


Posted by BonnieL at 4:50 PM Labels: Cobain estate, conspiracy, Howard Weitzman, John Branca, Michael Jackson, richard fine, Sony, swindle, Tommy Mottola