FRANKLIN LAKES, NJ – A New Jersey family has publicly accused Michael Jackson of sexually abusing five of their children over a 25-year period, marking the first time the entire Cascio family has spoken about their allegations against the late pop star.
Aldo Cascio, 35, along with four of his siblings, claim Jackson groomed and sexually abused them from the 1980s until his death in 2009, according to an interview broadcast by GB News. The Cascio family maintained close ties with Jackson for decades, with the singer frequently staying at their modest New Jersey home.
Aldo Cascio alleges the abuse began when he was seven years old during a trip to Florida where Jackson had convinced his parents to allow unsupervised access for supposed dance training. “I was just sitting on the bed with him during the day, and I was just playing my Game Boy,” Aldo stated in the interview. “And I remember he just went to me and pulled down my shorts.”
The family’s relationship with Jackson began in 1984 when father Dominic Cascio worked as manager of the Helmsley Palace in New York, where Jackson frequently stayed. Dominic introduced Jackson to his wife Connie and their sons Frank, then five, and Eddie, three. The couple later had three more children – Dominic, Marie Nicole and Aldo – who would visit Jackson’s Neverland Ranch in California.
According to Aldo’s account, Jackson used psychological manipulation to maintain control over him, telling the child that sexual acts were expressions of love and training him to deny any impropriety to authorities. “He would train me to say no to any authority and the police,” Aldo stated. “He would say that people think this is wrong, but they’re wrong.”
Marie Nicole Cascio also alleges abuse, stating Jackson asked her to remove her clothes and told her “it’s very normal for men and women to be naked.” The family claims Jackson isolated the children from peers and that Aldo left school for home-schooling at Jackson’s request.
The Cascio family previously supported Jackson during the 1993 allegations by Jordan Chandler, which Jackson settled for $23 million. At that time, the Cascio parents asked their children about any inappropriate behavior, but the children denied anything had occurred.
Aldo describes his final conversation with Jackson three days before the singer’s death in June 2009, when he told Jackson he no longer wanted to engage in sexual activity. “When he asks me are we going to do this when we see each other, I said, ‘No, I don’t want to do this any more’. And he just became silent and just hung up,” Aldo recalled.
The family began speaking publicly about their allegations in 2018 after watching the documentary “Leaving Neverland,” which featured similar claims from James Safechuck and Wade Robson. According to the interview, Aldo’s brothers Frank, Eddie and Dominic, as well as sister Marie Nicole, subsequently revealed their own alleged abuse experiences.
The Cascios are currently pursuing legal action against Jackson’s estate, seeking to void what they describe as a confidential settlement agreement signed in 2020. They claim they were pressured into the agreement without proper legal representation. Jackson’s estate has denied all allegations and characterized the family’s attempted lawsuit as a “$213 million shakedown.”
Since Jackson’s death, his estate has generated approximately $3 billion in revenue. The family expressed frustration with the continued celebration of Jackson’s legacy, including an upcoming biographical film starring Jackson’s nephew Jaafar.
