Indictments Over MJ Video

Two men were indicted on federal charges for secretly recording Michael Jackson and attorney Mark Geragos on their flight from Las Vegas to Santa Barbara, Calif., in 2003, after which MJ surrendered to police and was charged with child molestation.

Jeffrey Borer and Arvel Jett Reeves used two digital camcorders and remote microphones to record “a professional entertainer and his attorney” as the pair traveled on a private jet in November 2003, according to a three-count indictment filed September 21st.

Jacko wasn’t specifically identified as the victim in the indictment, but was named by a source familiar with the case. The incident was widely reported when video recordings of MJ and Geragos were offered for sale to news media outlets.

In a lawsuit filed against XtraJet days after the flight, Geragos claimed the charter company covertly installed two cameras in the cabin of the plane and alleged a violation of attorney-client privilege.

Borer was the owner of XtraJet, which operated the Gulfstream aircraft that carried Jackson. Reeves was the owner of Executive Aviation Logistics, which provided maintenance service for XtraJet’s fleet.

According to the indictment, Reeves purchased the video and audio equipment from three electronics stores in San Bernardino County, Calif., and, with another suspect, secretly installed the devices in a concealed part of the airplane’s cabin. The other suspect, listed as an unindicted co-conspirator, was not identified.

The microphones were allegedly installed between passenger seat cushions.

Borer instructed Reeves to obtain and install the equipment and later contacted news companies and offered to sell the recordings, the indictment said.

In April 2004, according to the indictment, Reeves told a suspect to lie to FBI agents by saying that the video equipment was installed in an attempt to catch someone who had been stealing alcohol from the aircraft.