Four siblings who were once considered Michael Jackson's 'second family' have come forward with allegations of sexual abuse spanning decades. In an interview with 60 Minutes Australia, Eddie, Aldo, Dominic and Marie-Nicole Cascio detailed what they described as grooming and abuse by the late pop star.
The Cascio family met Jackson in the mid-1980s when he befriended their father, a hotel manager. Jackson stayed at their New Jersey home for three months and invited them to Neverland Ranch. For 25 years, they received lavish gifts and trips, and even defended Jackson on Oprah in 2010. Now they claim they were 'brainwashed' and 'groomed'.
Dominic Cascio, who says the abuse began when he was eight, alleged that Jackson begged him to punch his arm to create bruises that Jackson later claimed were from police brutality during his 2003 arrest. 'If you love me, you’ll do this,' Dominic recalled Jackson saying. The siblings filed a federal lawsuit against Jackson's estate in February 2026.
Marie-Nicole Cascio claimed Jackson gave her Xanax and Vicodin at age 11, telling her she would 'be floating'. Aldo alleged Jackson molested him while he played video games. The siblings said the abuse occurred at Neverland, hotels worldwide, and their own home, without their parents' knowledge.
Marty Singer, lawyer for Jackson's estate, dismissed the allegations as a 'desperate money grab', noting the family had repeatedly defended Jackson for over 25 years. 'These shakedown attempts come more than 15 years after Michael’s death, thus carrying no risk of being sued for defamation,' Singer said.
