FBI video tape analysis

MJresearcher

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In the FBI files a video tape suspected of containing child pornography was mentioned. I'm pretty sure I've read another document about this where it was determined that the tape wasn't that at all, I'm having a look for it at the moment. If anyone has this document could they please post it?

It's the tape referred to here:

https://vault.fbi.gov/Michael Jackson/Michael Jackson 95 File Part 1 of 1/view

In the description of the file this is what it says:

"The fourth file—95A-HQ-1148159—concerns a 1995 request by a U.S. Customs agent in Florida that the Bureau examine a VHS videotape connected with Jackson to see if it contained child pornography. Forensic specialists discovered that the tape was a “poor quality third or fourth generation recording” and informed the Customs Service of their findings."

https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2009/december/jackson_122209
 
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The tape did not belong to Michael and it wasn't found in his home. It was confiscated by the West High Beach (Florida) custom service from someone at an airport and its only so called "connection" to MJ was that whoever it belonged to wrote "Michael Jackson's Neverland Favourites And All Boy Anthology" onto it. Anyone can write that on the label of a video casette.

The Florida custom service then sent it to the FBI for examination and that is how it got attached to MJ's files - quite stupidly because it had nothing to do with him other than someone writing his name on it.

Repeat: it was NOT found at NL or in MJ's possession. It was found with someone by the Florida custom service. The Florida custom service obviously did not make raids at Neverland.

And let me remind again: the possession of child pornography is a crime in itself. Had they ever found child pornography in MJ's possession or belonging to him he would have been chareged with it. He was never charged with that.
 
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Thank you. I knew it wasn't found in his home because I noticed it said it had been picked up at customs. It's frustrating with this document because it's a bit vague on details, it doesn't make it clear that MJ didn't get caught at the airport with this or that it didn't even belong to him. I'd love to know who wrote his name on that tape, it sounds like a poor attempt at a setup. Whoever did it overlooked the fact that nobody would put their own name on such a thing. Not very bright huh? I also don't like how the description the FBI article gives says the tape was "connected" with him. His name being written on something that wasn't his doesn't make it connected with him. Thanks again!

The reason I brought it up was in anticipation of someone mentioning this since I started debating someone, this is one of those things that are easily misread or not properly understood by people. I'm having a look around to see if I can find who that tape actually belonged to.
 
I think the tape probably belonged to some random traveller. Could have been a set-up attempt, but could have been someone simply finding that "funny". The FBI does not mention what its contents were, but I'd assume they would have mentioned it if it had been child porn. For all we know, could have been material recorded from TV by someone who was obsessed with the MJ case or something like that.

In any case, it did NOT belong to MJ. His so called "connection" to it was just that someone wrote "Michael Jackson's Neverland Favourites And All Boy Anthology" on it.

In a debate you should point out what I wrote in the last paragraph: that the possession of child porn is a crime. Had it been child porn and had it belonged to MJ indeed he would have been arrested for it and charged with it. He never was. Moreover he was on trial in 2005 and the prosecution never brought up this tape so that's another sign of it being nothing.
 
Exactly, and of course Sneddon would have been all over that. Pretty sure it doesn't matter how rich you are, if you get caught with that there's no getting out of it. I think it's pretty telling that child porn was never found in his possession. The best they can come up with is a couple of legal books which is a stretch and clearly didn't work when the DA tried it. Some people will grasp at anything.
 
Does anyone know how this tied with Michael though? I mean the FBI would need more than a tape with Michaels name on it to call it evidence.. did Michael travel a specific airlines around the same time that tape was found? Or what was the real "connection" if anyone knows..

Just curious why this would even be considered evidence at one point..
 
Does anyone know how this tied with Michael though? I mean the FBI would need more than a tape with Michaels name on it to call it evidence.. did Michael travel a specific airlines around the same time that tape was found? Or what was the real "connection" if anyone knows..

Just curious why this would even be considered evidence at one point..

I guess you refer to the stamp which says "Evidence evidence evidence / Priority handling requested, upon receipt deliver to... etc." but that is just a stamp with postal instructions while sending back the tape to West Palm Beach. It was never used as evidence against MJ, never called evidence against MJ by the FBI, never introduced as evidence against MJ in any investigation by any authority.

It's simply an FBI note about the West Palm Beach custom service sending the FBI a tape for examination in October 1995 and the FBI sending a letter back with their findings. Nothing more. It wasn't used or considered evidence for anything re. MJ.

You have to be aware how these things work in the US. Local authorities can ask the FBI's help in certain things - for example technical examinations that only the FBI has expertise or resources for. This is what is happening here and that's it. It has never been a part of any evidence against MJ.

Once again: MJ has never been charged with or even accused of having child porn by authorities. It was never among the charges in 1993 or 2005 or at any time else. Had there been any child porn ever found in his possession or linked to him it would have been used. You can be sure of that. People really should keep this in mind.
 
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I guess you refer to the stamp which says "Evidence evidence evidence / Priority handling requested, upon receipt deliver to... etc." but that is just a stamp with postal instructions while sending back the tape to West Palm Beach. It was never used as evidence against MJ, never called evidence against MJ by the FBI, never introduced as evidence against MJ in any investigation by any authority.

It's simply an FBI note about the West Palm Beach custom service sending the FBI a tape for examination in October 1995 and the FBI sending a letter back with their findings. Nothing more. It wasn't used or considered evidence for anything re. MJ.

You have to be aware how these things work in the US. Local authorities can ask the FBI's help in certain things - for example technical examinations that only the FBI has expertise or resources for. This is what is happening here and that's it. It has never been a part of any evidence against MJ.

Once again: MJ has never been charged with or even accused of having child porn by authorities. It was never among the charges in 1993 or 2005 or at any time else. Had there been any child porn ever found in his possession or linked to him it would have been used. You can be sure of that. People really should keep this in mind.
Exactly. Like I said, Michael had everything thrown at him but the kitchen sink (and in some ways, the sink was thrown at him as well). There was lies about tapes, letters, etc all proven to be lies. MJ sued a tabloid show (hard copy) over some of this.
 
I guess why would any authority assume that belonged to the ACTUAL Michael Jackson? What about that tape, or where it was found made it appear as if it would actually be his.. At my house for example I have several VHS tapes with MJ's name on it!! if I traveled with that and they found it on a plane it would not trace back to the actual Michael Jackson.. Where did they find this tape exactly and when?? There has to be something that made it even considered evidence in the first place..

For example if it were in coach on a southwest airlines flight... You know that would not have been considered evidence cuz Michael Jackson is not flying southwest coach...

That's my question... I know they could not actually tie it to him or was never charged.. I am just wondering where is the 'link'...
 
I guess why would any authority assume that belonged to the ACTUAL Michael Jackson? What about that tape, or where it was found made it appear as if it would actually be his.. At my house for example I have several VHS tapes with MJ's name on it!! if I traveled with that and they found it on a plane it would not trace back to the actual Michael Jackson.. Where did they find this tape exactly and when?? There has to be something that made it even considered evidence in the first place..

For example if it were in coach on a southwest airlines flight... You know that would not have been considered evidence cuz Michael Jackson is not flying southwest coach...

That's my question... I know they could not actually tie it to him or was never charged.. I am just wondering where is the 'link'...

On the tape the writing was "Michael Jackson's Neverland Favourites All Boy Anthology". That's how the authority linked it to him. There is no claim of it being confiscated from MJ or from a package being sent by or to him or anything suggesting it belonged to him. The description does not say "tape belonging to MJ" but tape "connected" to him. A so called "connection" can be many things. For example simply that the video was attributed to him on the label ("Michael Jackson's...") If the matter was still under investigation the authority might have just taken that description at face value initially. Here we are talking about suspected criminal content and not a commercially produced tape so of course it is not like the videos in your house marked "Michael Jackson's Thriller" or something.

You keep saying it was "considered evidence" implying it was considered as evidence against Michael. Nowhere do those documents say that. The only thing we see from those documents is that the West Palm Beach custom service sent a tape to the FBI for examination and they did the examination (where they do not mention what the actual content was) and then send it back. That's all these documents are about. Not about it being considered as evidence against MJ.

I am not sure how you expect me to prove a negative, that it did not belong to Michael or that it wasn't used as evidence against him when the documents themselves do not claim it was. What we know for certain is that he was never accused of possessing child porn and this tape was never brought up against him as evidence in any investigation or court process in his life - and he had a couple. We never heard of him being investigated for the possession of child porn in West Palm Beach either, did we? So from all that we can safely say that it was nothing that would incriminate him.
 
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I think there's just some curiosity about the background story of the tape. It was turned over in 95 and the Chandler case was still pretty fresh.
Maybe Customs sent it to the FBI because there was a tip line or something. Or agencies try to work together. I don't think Sneddon et al ever gave up looking for leads.
 
I believe it was a setup by Victor Guiterrez because in January 1995 he claimed he saw a video of MJ molesting his nephew Jeremy, MJ sued both him and Diamond. In October 1995 the custom department seized the video as stated in the FBI documents.

October 15, 1996 – Verdict in a lawsuit that Michael Jackson filed against journalists Victor Gutierrez and Diane Dimond. In January of 1995 Gutierrez claimed that an alleged 27 minute video tape captured by one of Jackson’s security cameras showed the star sexually molesting one of his nephews, Jeremy. No such tape ever existed and the boy and his mother firmly denied the story. Dimond repeated Gutierrez’s allegations in a radio show and on TV, despite not having any evidence for its existance outside of Gutierrez’s words and despite a statement by Jackson’s lawyer that there was no such tape. The Court ordered Gutierrez to pay Jackson $2.7 million in damages. He never paid and instead fled the country and filed for bankruptcy. Dimond escaped unscathed because no malice could be proven on her part.
 
I believe it was a setup by Victor Guiterrez because in January 1995 he claimed he saw a video of MJ molesting his nephew Jeremy, MJ sued both him and Diamond. In October 1995 the custom department seized the video as stated in the FBI documents.

The video that VG claimed to have seen never existed and authorities never claimed to have seen it either. The only person who ever claimed to have seen it was VG and he was proven to be a liar in court. Here is a declaration by LA deputy DA, Lauren Weiss in the MJ vs. VG and Dimond lawsuit.

Lauren_Weis_declaration_VG_case.jpg


Lauren_Weis_declaration_VG_case_2.jpg
 
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Respect77 if you was on the Estate defend this cases would be over now you are just awesome you have the answers.:)
 
@ respect.

Nothing you wrote or posted refutes what I suggest.

If the tape seized by the FBI ended with Sneddon or Weiz, the lawsuit against Victor might have very well been dismissed on the same basis MJ’s lawsuit against Diane concerning the Canadian boy was previously dismissed. For all Victor really needed was a declaration by the authorities confirming that MJ was indeed under an investigation triggered by a video of allegedly pornographic material involving a boy. Sneddon gave similar declaration in the Canadian boy lawsuit which saved Diane although her allegations were not any less despicable than those of Victor. A declaration by the DA was very important as evident by your post for the one Diane obtained from Sneddon saved her and Weiz was forced by MJ’s lawyers to give one admitting that they had nothing but Victors word and did not do nothing except for interviewing him, revelations that played significantly in determining Victor’s liability.

Victor might have not been aware that any alleged children pornographic material is automatically handled by the FBI because the possession of child pornographic material is a federal crime. Neither Weiz nor Sneddon had been informed of the seizure of such tape for the aforementioned reasons. On top of that why would the FBI inform them of its existence if nothing of value came out of their examination of the tape.

The timing at which the tape was seized, the circumstances, how it was seized, the writing on it and the customs agent reporting it on suspicion of kid pornography were very suspicious. Taking into consideration that Victor knew fully well that no such tape of MJ molesting any one existed so the best scenario to save his ass would have been for a tape like the one seized, tampered with to the point where no one can confirm or deny anything, reported for alleged child pornographic material involving Michael Jackson, backed by a declaration by Sneddon confirming an investigation was going on. But the video disappeared and first reports of its existence were published by the FBI after MJ’s death.
 
I personally do not see any connection between this tape mentioned in the FBI docs and the one alleged by VG.

The investigation that Sneddon confirmed was going on into the existence of the tape that was claimed by VG went on in January 1995. This tape however was confiscated in October 1995. Such a thing would not have helped VG since his allegations about MJ on TV dated back to January 1995.

(Note: There was no Canadian boy lawsuit. Dimond was sued in the same lawsuit that VG was.)
 
In January 1995 reports of the video allegedly seen by Victor surfaced in the media.

Days later MJ sued.

In Oct 1995 the customs reported a video tape to the FBI for alleged children pornographic material involving Michael Jackson.

At the time the lawsuit against Victor was still ongoing by MJ.

Weis gave her declaration in the lawsuit in March 1997.

The jury found Victor liable in 1998.

respect, you give the impression that the lawsuit was tried and Victor was found liable within days of him making his claims while the facts say it lasted almost three years.

I believe the tape seized by the customs was directly related to Victor's lawsuit and I believe, to bolster his position, Victor counted on it ending with Sneddon or Weis, who reasonably speaking would be the first ones to be reported to on anything involving MJ. However, it ended up with the FBI on a technicality and the DAs were not able to help him.
 
In Oct 1995 the customs reported a video tape to the FBI for alleged children pornographic material involving Michael Jackson.

The document is simply a request towards the FBI to technically examine a tape that could virtually come from any fool who travelled through or sent a package through West Palm Beach. The only so called "connection" to MJ mentioned is the fact his name was on it. It is not a request to the FBI to investigate him. It is not a request to the FBI to accuse him. It is not considered evidence against him. In fact, the document itself does NOT even make a claim it is connected to MJ. The word "connected" comes from whoever wrote the description when the files where uploaded on the FBI website. Who could have been a simple clerk or webmaster. But the document itself doesn't even say that it is "connected to MJ". Much less does it say things like "alleged children pornographic material involving Michael Jackson". Such things are NOT claimed anywhere in that document.

The whole thing is much ado about nothing IMO.

I can imagine that when they search for computerized material at the FBI they put in key words, in this case "Michael Jackson" and then the search engine comes back with each "Michael Jackson" result. So this document would also show up among the search results because MJ's name is mentioned in it. And that is how the whole thing got "connected" to him.

We have no reason to think that this actually had anything to do with MJ other than a video label. If it had then we would have further FBI documents showing he got further investigated for it and of course we would have heard about it at latest during the 2005 trial. Sneddon was assisted by the FBI during that trial.

respect, you give the impression that the lawsuit was tried and Victor was found liable within days of him making his claims while the facts say it lasted almost three years.

I believe the tape seized by the customs was directly related to Victor's lawsuit and I believe, to bolster his position, Victor counted on it ending with Sneddon or Weis, who reasonably speaking would be the first ones to be reported to on anything involving MJ. However, it ended up with the FBI on a technicality and the DAs were not able to help him.

To me the theory sounds a bit far-fetched. If VG wanted a tape end up with Sneddon there would have been more simple ways then sending it through a West Palm Beach (Florida!) custom service. How did VG expect it to end up with Sneddon and Weis from Florida? Why not sending it anonymously to Santa Barbara police then? Or at least through a Santa Barbara custom service. That would have been a much more certain way to make it end up with Sneddon than a custom service on the other side of the country. And when VG was asked about the tape he did not say "please call the West Palm Beach costum service, they would know more", but simply said he could not produce the tape.
 
Another problem with the Victor theory is that whoever was caught with it/sent it would have to have been prepared to go to prison for possessing such material. Who would go to that length and why? There would be a better way.

Respect77 if you was on the Estate defend this cases would be over now you are just awesome you have the answers.:)

I think respect77 would make an excellent investigator. I'm one but I haven't started working yet for various reasons and she's taught me some things.
 
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The document is simply a request towards the FBI to technically examine a tape that could virtually come from any fool who travelled through or sent a package through West Palm Beach. The only so called "connection" to MJ mentioned is the fact his name was on it. It is not a request to the FBI to investigate him. It is not a request to the FBI to accuse him. It is not considered evidence against him. In fact, the document itself does NOT even make a claim it is connected to MJ. The word "connected" comes from whoever wrote the description when the files where uploaded on the FBI website. Who could have been a simple clerk or webmaster. But the document itself doesn't even say that it is "connected to MJ". Much less does it say things like "alleged children pornographic material involving Michael Jackson". Such things are NOT claimed anywhere in that document.

The whole thing is much ado about nothing IMO.

It is classified as evidence, the subject is clearly written as "child pornography" and its says "priority handling requested" , it was released by the FBI as part of MJ's file along with many other documents. Are you telling me that the FBI gave MJ the benefit of the doubt, when they confiscated it they thought it had no connection to him? their agents are to this day are hell bent he was guilty and were not any better than Sneddon when it came to hiding evidence. Mez himself said most of the information reveled after MJ's death which was exonerating was not released to the defense nor he had any idea they existed during the trial.

I can imagine that when they search for computerized material at the FBI they put in key words, in this case "Michael Jackson" and then the search engine comes back with each "Michael Jackson" result. So this document would also show up among the search results because MJ's name is mentioned in it. And that is how the whole thing got "connected" to him.

OK, I see. Considering the FBI history with MJ whose agents were vocal on TV commenting on how guilty they believed him to be, on the other hand no single word from them when the tabloids twisted every document they released after MJ's death refuting the totally twisted interpretation of the information contained in the files released, considering that they deliberately hidden exonerating evidence from the defense in 2005 based on Mez statement, I opt not to have much confidence in your explanation.

We have no reason to think that this actually had anything to do with MJ other than a video label. If it had then we would have further FBI documents showing he got further investigated for it and of course we would have heard about it at latest during the 2005 trial. Sneddon was assisted by the FBI during that trial.

Why would you hear about it at all? There was nothing found so for what Sneddon would have used it? It would have helped Victor only before the jury found him liable besides that it was worth nothing.

To me the theory sounds a bit far-fetched. If VG wanted a tape end up with Sneddon there would have been more simple ways then sending it through a West Palm Beach (Florida!) custom service. How did VG expect it to end up with Sneddon and Weis from Florida? Why not sending it anonymously to Santa Barbara police then? Or at least through a Santa Barbara custom service. That would have been a much more certain way to make it end up with Sneddon than a custom service on the other side of the country. And when VG was asked about the tape he did not say "please call the West Palm Beach costum service, they would know more", but simply said he could not produce the tape.

Because whatever service he would have used at the time the tape would have ended up with the FBI for children pornography is a federal crime. However, similar to your assumption here that Sneddon would have been informed by the FBI about the existence of such tape, Victor might have assumed then, reasonably, anything related to Jackson would end up with the prosecutors who were in charge of the investigation. Besides, who told you it was not on its way to Santa Barbara. The tape destination might have been to Santa Barbara or LA. We know where it was confiscated but we don't know where it was being sent. the customs took it and sent it to the FBI. Again any entity would have done the same with the tape. I can't but wonder why there is no mention of the person from whom they seized it, assuming there was really someone.
 
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It is classified as evidence, the subject is clearly written as "child pornography" and its says "priority handling requested"

I am pretty sure that most material that gets sent to the FBI and back by and to another authority for examination gets handled as "evidence" in post. It simply has a stamp which says as "evidence" it gets priority handling in post and upon delivery do this and that. However, nowhere does the document say it is considered or used as evidence against Michael Jackson. Nowhere does it say it is child pornography involving Michael Jackson. Why do we add incriminating details to it that are simply not there in the document itself?

Are you telling me that the FBI gave MJ the benefit of the doubt, when they confiscated it they thought it had no connection to him? their agents are to this day are hell bent he was guilty and were not any better than Sneddon when it came to hiding evidence. Mez himself said most of the information reveled after MJ's death which was exonerating was not released to the defense nor he had any idea they existed during the trial.

The FBI did not confiscate it. The West Palm Beach custom service did. The FBI's only involvement in this is that they were asked to examine it. Local authorities frequently ask the FBI to do such things when they do not have the expertise or resources to carry out such an examination. Just like in 2005 when the Santa Barbara prosecutors sent MJ's computers to the FBI for examination. The FBI did nothing here but simply examined the tape and then sent back their findings to the local authority. That's all this document is about, nothing else.

OK, I see. Considering the FBI history with MJ whose agents were vocal on TV commenting on how guilty they believed him to be, on the other hand no single word from them when the tabloids twisted every document they released after MJ's death refuting the totally twisted interpretation of the information contained in the files released, considering that they deliberately hidden exonerating evidence from the defense in 2005 based on Mez statement, I opt not to have much confidence in your explanation.

Where does what I said suggest that the FBI were acting in MJ's favour? In fact, if I want to have bad faith about them I could say that maybe it is deliberate that they threw this file among MJ's files when it has nothing to do with him other than his name being written on a tape. Actually I can imagine it being deliberate for the reasons you mention.

Because whatever service he would have used at the time the tape would have ended up with the FBI for children pornography is a federal crime. However, similar to your assumption here that Sneddon would have been informed by the FBI about the existence of such tape, Victor might have assumed then, reasonably, anything related to Jackson would end up with the prosecutors who were in charge of the investigation. Besides, who told you it was not on its way to Santa Barbara. The tape destination might have been to Santa Barbara or LA. We know where it was confiscated but we don't know where it was being sent. the customs took it and sent it to the FBI. Again any entity would have done the same with the tape. I can't but wonder why there is no mention of the person from whom they seized did, assuming there was really one.

VG simply could have produced the tape himself if he wanted to get it to court and say it got damaged. If the goal was, like your theory goes, that Sneddon could write a similar declaration to him as to Dimond and say "we have been investigating the existence of a tape" - well, a statement where Sneddon states that they investigated a tape in October would not have helped VG because he made his slander in January. VG could not say he said what he said in January because Sneddon would investigate a tape in October.

And VG and DD's positions in the case were different. DD, who did not claim any first-hand knowledge about the tape, could simply say that she's been mislead by her source and by the fact that she got word from the DA's office that there is an investigation in the tape. VG however claimed to be a first-hand witness to the tape. In fact, he was the only one who claimed to have ever seen this tape. The whole investigation that took place in January was based on VG's claims. He was asked to produce it, he could not. Then his whole story fell apart and he got exposed as a liar. He said Jeremy's mother, Margaret Maldonado showed him the tape in a hotel room. Margaret was called to testify and said she never met VG. Not only that but there was an investigation into the hotel's records and it turns out that VG has never been in that hotel that he named. He was caught lie after lie. Even Jordan Chandler refuted VG's lies in a declaration he gave in that case. At the end VG did not even show up in court any more but fled the country.
 
So was it said as to what was on the tape. and if the tape was sent back then presumably there was nothing on it of criminal intrest anyway?
 
So was it said as to what was on the tape. and if the tape was sent back then presumably there was nothing on it of criminal intrest anyway?

The document does not say anything about what is on the tape, except for commentary about the quality of the tape. There is "child pornography" in the subject of the heading, but whether that is a factual statement or whether just a reference to the request for the FBI to determine if it is child pornography, I don't know.

But let's say it was child porn - although you are right that probably then it would not have been just sent back to a custom service, since custom services are not authorities to investigate such a matter, the FBI however is. But for argument's sake let's say it was. Then even more so we can be sure it did not belong to MJ or had anything to do with him (except for the mention of his name on its label) because otherwise it would have been used against him. As simple as that. The possession or production of child porn is a crime in itself.

I think the whole thing is a non-issue that we are making an issue of. Michael was never accused of or charged with the possession of child porn. Not once this has been brought up against him by Sneddon or the FBI. Never. There is no way around that for anyone who wants to claim that this was child porn belonging to MJ.
 
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Thanks. yes i agree its totally a non story so to speak. imo if it was sent back then it obviously contained nothing incriminating and was just individuals desperate to put anything on mj sending things to the fbi

makes me laugh cause maybe it was one of many tapes fans used to buy from jetzi back in the day. i had dozens! either that or someone was playing silly buggers to see what happened
 
Thanks. yes i agree its totally a non story so to speak. imo if it was sent back then it obviously contained nothing incriminating and was just individuals desperate to put anything on mj sending things to the fbi

makes me laugh cause maybe it was one of many tapes fans used to buy from jetzi back in the day. i had dozens! either that or someone was playing silly buggers to see what happened
Yes. If anything like child porn was on it, it would have been confiscated and not sent back-Michael involved or not.

Jetzi sold tapes? I didn't realize that.
 
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