Michael Jackson formally charged with child molestation

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, December 19, 2003

Michael Jackson formally charged with child molestation

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A nine-count criminal complaint was formally filed Thursday against US pop star Michael Jackson for allegedly molesting a Los Angeles boy and plied the young cancer patient with an alcoholic beverage.

The lawsuit, filed by Santa Barbara County District Attorney Tom Sneddon, accused Jackson of seven counts of child molestation and two counts of administering an intoxicating liquor to a child for the purpose of committing a felony.

Jackson's Los Angeles-based attorney, Mark Geragos, could not immediately be reached for comment.

A Jan. 16 arraignment date is set for the 45-year-old singer, who is free on a 3-million-dollar bail that he posted on Nov. 20 after his surrender to the Santa Barbara Sheriffs Department.

The hearing will be held at the Santa Maria courthouse in SantaBarbara County, not far from the entertainer's Neverland Ranch, where the alleged acts occurred.

If convicted, Jackson could face three to eight years on each account of child molestation charge according to California laws.

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