CNN reports that “sources close to the prosecution” revealed to them that “a Jackson employee [was] nearby during at least part of the interview by child welfare agency workers.” 

This may be why the prosecutors discounted the memo detailing the two week investigation by Los Angeles police and Department of Children and Family Services that took place in February.  That investigation included interviews with the boy that is the focus of the current prosecution and his family. 

Santa Barbara County District Attorney Tom Sneddon and Santa Barbara County Sheriff Jim Anderson responded to the memo, stating that they were aware of it and that it was included in paperwork submitted to the judge that issued a search warrant of Jackson’s estate and later an arrest warrant for the singers arrest. 

"Our investigators were aware of the contents of the interviews prior to seeking the search warrants and arrest warrant for Mr. Jackson," the joint statement by Sneddon and Anderson read. "The report and its contents, along with the totality of the investigation and the circumstances and the timing under which the statements were given, were provided to the judge at the time that the search and arrest warrants were issued. Given what we know, we do not consider the DCFS statement a significant factor."

The presence of a Michael Jackson employee during the interview would certainly dampen the idea that this memo is a smoking gun that helps the pop singer’s defense. 

A source close to prosecution told CNN "To say there was intimidation going on is an understatement". 

CNN called upon an expert to clarify what influence the presense of that employee might have had on the boy while he was being interviewed. "The implied message to the child is, ‘I'm here to prevent you from saying anything bad about Michael Jackson,'" said Dr. Astrid Heppenstall Heger, a child abuse expert who heads the Los Angeles-based Violence Intervention Program. 

CNN also quote sources close to the prosecution that told them “at least one incident of abuse was witnessed by the accuser's brother.” 

Related Stories:
Prosecutors Going Forward With Jackson Case, Leaked Memo Insignificant
Previous Michael Jackson Probe Said Allegations 'Unfounded'

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