Key Figure in Jackson Case Reports Threats

A comedy club owner who introduced Michael Jackson to the boy whom the pop star is charged with molesting said Thursday that he had received two phone calls this week, threatening him if he spoke on the boy’s behalf.

Jamie Masada, owner of the Laugh Factory in Hollywood, said the same person had placed one call to the club and one to his unlisted cellular phone number, one after the other Tuesday evening. Masada said he had reported the calls to Los Angeles police.

A police spokesman said the department could not comment on any ongoing threat investigation. Sources familiar with the investigation said it was being handled by the department’s threat management unit and that the calls were being taken seriously.

“I am taking precautions,” Masada told reporters at a news conference where he was accompanied by a bodyguard. Masada said the caller had warned of harm if he spoke on the boy’s behalf. “They made specific reference” to aspects of the case that aren’t publicly known, he said.

Jackson, 45, was arrested Nov. 20 and charged with seven felony counts of lewd and lascivious behavior with a minor and two felony counts of using an intoxicant to seduce a minor. He pleaded not guilty and his attorney insists the allegations are motivated by greed.

The boy was undergoing treatment for cancer in 2000 when he attended a comedy camp that Masada operated. Masada said he had helped arrange for the boy to meet several celebrities, including Jackson.

Jackson is charged with molesting the boy between Feb. 7 and March 10 of last year. Masada has said the boy’s mother told him last summer about the alleged abuse.