Michael Jackson's 'second family' come forward with disturbing new abuse claims
Topics: Celebrity, Entertainment, US News, Crime
Rhianna Benson
Featured Image Credit: 60 Minutes Australia
Topics: Celebrity, Entertainment, US News, Crime
For 25 years, the Casico family - dubbed Michael Jackson's 'second family' - were showered with luxury trips, gifts and attention from the 'King of Pop', even appearing on Oprah to defend him from abuse claims following his death. Now, the siblings have claimed the musician sexually abused them as children in a bombshell new interview.
Sitting down with 60 Minutes Australia on Sunday (10 May), Eddie, Aldo, Dominic and Marie-Nicole Cascio claimed Jackson had first wooed their parents with elaborate gifts and fame before preying on them.
Their father, Dominic Sr, had met Jackson in the 80s while he worked at the Helmsley Palace Hotel in New York City, quickly finding himself a place within the singer's inner circle. In the years that followed, the Cascios travelled with Jackson around the world.
In a lawsuit filed in February, however, the four siblings claimed the star had abused them for years.
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The siblings branded Jackson a serial child sex predator, alleging that the late King of Pop had groomed and molested them after first supplying them with drugs and alcohol.
Dominic Jr said: "He’s a monster, he’s evil, what he did was evil. And he’s tricked the whole world to think he’s this innocent, perfect human being, and he’s not."
Shedding further light on their earliest years with Jackson, Eddie claimed he first met the singer when he was just two, after he began visiting their New York City residence unannounced.
As part of the interview, footage was also shown showing Jackson's pet chimpanzee, Bubbles, playing with the four youngsters.
Eddie claimed Jackson also took him and his siblings on trips on his private plane, as well as on tour with him.
The 43-year-old claimed these gestures were part of a scheme to win the children over to further abuse them.
"My parents were young," Eddie explained. "For them to have such a big celebrity want to be friends with them. They definitely felt special, and so did we.
"He made us feel like we were his family, his kids, his everything."
On the Dangerous tour, which took place when Eddie was 11, he alleged Jackson abused him almost every evening while they shared a bed.
"We were on tour, and that’s when Michael started to get closer and started rubbing me on my legs," he recalled. "I was sitting on his lap, and that’s when the first kiss happened, where he kissed me on the lips."
The four siblings allege that the sexual abuse they endured lasted for over 25 years. Many instances supposedly took place on Jackson's Neverland estate.
Responding to the Cascio siblings' claims, a lawyer acting on behalf of Jackson's estate told 60 Minutes producers that they were false and an attempt at a 'money grab'.
"Notably, these shakedown attempts come more than 15 years after Jackson’s death, thus carrying no risk of being sued for defamation," Marty Singer explained. "Sadly, in death just as in life, Jackson’s talents and success continue to make him a target."
Dominic went on: "When you have the biggest superstar in the world in the 80s that wants to be your friend, you’re vulnerable and easily manipulated."
Marie-Nicole also accused the singer of having her undress when she was just 12 years old and would then masturbate while looking at her. Meanwhile, Aldo claimed Jackson had also molested him in bed as they played video games.
In most of these cases, the siblings alleged that Jackson had supplied them with both prescription drugs and alcohol after nicknaming wine 'Jesus juice', and hard liquor, 'Disney juice'.
Marie-Nicole continued: "He gave me Xanax and Vicodin at 11 years old and told me I’d be floating and I would love it."
The family had previously spoken out on the Oprah Winfrey Show about their relationship with Jackson shortly after his death in 2009, defending him from the sexual assault allegations which had followed him. Now, they claim that was a lie.
“We were brainwashed, we were groomed,” Eddie said.
But it was watching the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland which urged the siblings to come forward with their allegations, with Aldo the first to approach his family to say he had been abused.
Speaking on the siblings' 2026 lawsuit, Singer said: “The family staunchly defended Michael Jackson for more than 25 years, attesting to his innocence of inappropriate conduct.
“This new court filing is a transparent forum-shopping tactic in their scheme to obtain hundreds of millions of dollars from Michael’s estate and companies.”
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 10am-8pm Monday to Friday. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111, 24/7.