Michael Jackson pleads innocent

With a nod of his head, Michael Jackson pleaded not guilty to a grand jury indictment that expanded the child molestation case against him to include a conspiracy count involving allegations of child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion.

"Is that your plea?" Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville asked Jackson on Friday after the pop star's lawyer stood and said he was entering the plea on his client's behalf.

Jackson, sitting quietly, nodded in agreement.

His mood appeared subdued as he entered court dressed in a relatively conservative outfit of a dark jacket with a gold crest on its pocket, a red armband, a red tie and dark trousers with gold stripes on each side. Fans filling half the courtroom obeyed an edict to remain quiet.

The judge softly and methodically read the counts of the indictment, which supersedes charges filed by Santa Barbara County prosecutors late last year.

The first one was a dramatic new count -- conspiracy, alleging 28 individual overt acts involving child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion. The indictment was released with the names of alleged co-conspirators deleted. It also said there were "other uncharged co-conspirators and co-conspirators whose identities are unknown."

Counts two to five alleged Jackson committed a lewd act upon a child. Count six alleged Jackson attempted to have the child commit a lewd or lascivious act upon him. Counts seven to 10 alleged the administering of intoxicating agents to assist in the commission of a felony.

Melville said there were also two "special allegations" that related to possible sentencing but did not specify what they were.

Jackson was originally charged with seven counts of lewd or lascivious conduct involving a child under 14 and two counts of administering an intoxicant, reportedly wine, to a child under 14.

Jackson, with his parents and two brothers, and his lawyer, Thomas Mesereau, made brief statements as they left court.

"I would like to thank the fans around the world for your love and support from every corner of the Earth," Jackson said, adding that he loved Santa Maria and its people.

Mesereau praised the judge and community and pledged a dignified defense.

"This case is about one thing only," he said. "It's about the dignity, the integrity, the decency, the honor, the charity, the innocence and the complete vindication of a wonderful human being named Michael Jackson."

The conspiracy count adds a new dimension to the case, since much less has to be proved compared to proving the crime itself -- but the resulting punishment can be just as severe, said Dan Simon, an associate professor of law at the University of Southern California.

"If he's found guilty of conspiracy, then he can be punished with the punishment of the entire crime, even if the crime itself has not been fully proved. So it's a powerful tool in the hands of prosecutors, because all you have to prove is an agreement was made to perform the crime," Simon said.

In addition, any co-conspirators could strike a deal with prosecutors to testify against Jackson, Simon added.

Simon cautioned that the added charges could backfire if jurors interpret them as signs of excessive zeal on the part of the prosecution.

The crimes allegedly occurred between Feb. 1 and March 31 last year.

The alleged victim was identified as "John Doe" and a witness to some alleged molestation was identified as "James Doe."