Pop superstar Michael Jackson was due to enter a plea of not guilty in court for the first time yesterday on child sex charges, his lawyer said late on Thursday, as fans geared up to show their support.
Jackson will be formally arraigned on nine counts in a court in Santa Maria, a normally quiet California town north of Santa Barbara. The self-styled "King of Pop" could be jailed for more than 20 years if found guilty.
"Michael will enter a plea of not guilty," attorney Mark Gregaros said in a statement.
Gregaros also said another high-profile celebrity attorney, Benjamin Brafman, had joined Jackson's defense team.
Brafman, a New York-based criminal defense lawyer, is best known for successfully defending rap star Sean "Puffy" Combs -- now known as P. Diddy -- against charges of gun possession and bribery.
"Michael and I agreed that expanding the team would best serve his interests as we work toward his acquittal on the false charges that have been leveled against him," Gregaros said.
Dozens of supporters meanwhile demonstrated outside the offices of Santa Barbara District Attorney Tom Sneddon, who brought the child molestation charges against Jackson.
The fans, including some from France and Norway, held signs with blow-up photographs of Jackson and the words "Michael is innocent" and "You are not alone."
They chanted slogans and sang some of the singer's hits, including one track from his 1995 album HIStory with the lyric "Tom Sneddon is a cold man."
The supporters planned to travel to Santa Maria yesterday in a convoy of buses and cars dubbed "the caravan of love."
Hordes of reporters from around the world will also watch the 45-year-old superstar enter the courtroom and offer his plea.
The presiding judge, Rodney Melville, has banned all cameras from the courtroom, citing the need to maintain "public trust and confidence in the judicial system."
Jackson will set off from a luxury, French-style chateau he has been renting in Beverly Hills at a reported cost of just under US$100,000 a month.
He abandoned his Neverland ranch after accusing police officials of trashing parts of his home in the search before his initial arrest on Nov. 20.
The father of three was charged on Dec. 18 by Santa Barbara prosecutors with seven counts of performing lewd and lascivious acts on a 14-year-old boy, who reportedly has cancer.
Each charge carries a prison sentence of between three and eight years.
He also faces two counts of plying the child with alcohol.
Free on US$3 million bail pending the arraignment, Jackson has steadfastly maintained his innocence.
Jackson's staunchest family supporter, his elder brother Jermaine, said the expected influx of fans from across the US -- and many from overseas -- reflected the public verdict.
"My brother is innocent, he is 1,000 percent innocent," Jermaine said.
"It is a true testament to Michael and his messages of love and inclusion that so many people of diverse backgrounds are traveling from around the globe to support him," he said.
Other supporters have proved more controversial, especially reports that Leonard Muhammad, son-in-law of Louis Farrakhan -- leader of the black Muslim group Nation of Islam -- had been given a prominent place in Jackson's inner circle of advisers.
Nation of Islam has denied any "professional relationship" with Jackson, while the singer's lawyer Mark Geragos said Jackson's interaction with Muhammad had never gone beyond "informal" consultations.
Nevertheless, Muhammad was present at a strategy meeting of Jackson's closest advisers in Los Angeles on Monday.
Until now, the main tactic of Jackson's legal team and his entourage has been to target the family of his young accuser, saying the allegations are part of an extortion attempt and motivated by "greed and revenge."
Geragos has also accused Santa Barbara prosecutors, who attempted to have Jackson tried over another case of alleged child abuse in 1993, of harboring a grudge against his client.
Jackson settled the 1993 case out of court, paying the child's family a large but undisclosed sum.
In his only television interview since his arrest, Jackson told CBS last month that he would rather slit his own wrists than harm a child.
However, he also said he believed it was perfectly acceptable to share his bed with children.
Jackson's legal woes and accompanying costs are sure to aggravate the singer's reportedly bad finances.
He has earned an estimated US$750 million over the last three decades.
But recent flops have led to problems in sustaining his lavish lifestyle.
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