Who is Frank Tyson? Michael Jackson and assistant allegedly ordered child pornography claims Netflix Doc

Frank Tyson is back in the headlines. Michael Jackson: The Verdict, a three-episode docuseries now streaming on Netflix, takes a deep dive into the singer's 2005 criminal trial and Tyson's name surfaces in it. Jackson, who was accused of molesting thirteen-year-old Gavin Arvizo, was acquitted on all counts. Back then jurors cited insufficient evidence.

Tyson, whose real name is Francesco Cascio, goes back with Jackson further than most. As per his profile on HarperCollins, the friendship started in 1984, when Frank was just a few years old. He was hired as Jackson's personal assistant at eighteen and eventually moved up to personal manager. As per a report shared by ABC News, Cascio was accused but never indicted as a co-conspirator in Jackson's alleged molestation case.

In the docuseries, Vincent Amen, a Jackson associate who came on board in 2002, shares that many people close to the singer had their homes searched after Jackson's arrest. Amen claims Cascio allegedly cleared his house of anything tied to Neverland Ranch. Cascio also has producing credits to his name, including Michael Jackson's Private Home Movies, which aired on Fox in 2003.

Vincent Amen alleges Frank Tyson handed him material tied to Michael Jackson in Netflix docuseries:

Vincent Amen makes a striking claim in Michael Jackson: The Verdict. He alleges that Frank Tyson handed him a Nike bag, and feeling suspicious about what was inside, Amen filmed himself opening it. What he found, according to the docuseries, was a lascivious and illegal magazine.

"Start flipping through it, and there was a Sharpie ... circles around the video ordering section," Amen says.

"Someone wanted these videos, circled the ones they want. These videos, which are children naked. Some with family, some just naked children," Amen added.

Amen says he then took the matter directly to Frank Tyson.

"I confronted Frank," he continues.

"I said, you know, 'Frank, what is this magazine? ... There's circles around videos with naked children.' He says, 'That's just a phase that Michael and I went through. He circled the videos that he wanted, I ordered them, it was a phase that we went through.' They watched them together. When I heard that, I was in disbelief," he added.

As per the docuseries, a title card at the end of Episode One confirms that the filmmakers were unable to reach Frank Tyson for comment.

Frank Tyson had publicly defended Michael Jackson:

Before jury deliberations even began in the Michael Jackson child molestation case, Frank Tyson broke his silence. As per a report shared by ABC News, Tyson sat down with Primetime Live co-anchor Cynthia McFadden in June, 2005, to make his position on the matter very clear.

"There's not a question in my mind who's telling the truth. I know who's telling the truth and I know who's lying," Tyson told McFadden.

He also attempted to cast doubt on the teenage accuser, describing him as anything but a pushover.

"He was from the street, this kid ... And he is not like a shy little boy ... He is tough ... If anyone pushes him the wrong way, or touches him -- he is to be the first one, to push you back," Tyson said.

He added that if the allegations were true, the accuser

"would be the first one to knock Michael out and say, 'The hell with this. I am not doing this.' "

Frank Tyson shared that watching Jackson deteriorate through the trial was painful for him personally.

"To see him going in and out of court every day, frail, 90 pounds. See him deteriorate day by day -- it's hard for me to see this. To see how they're trying to destroy him, I'm not just going to sit there in my chair in my home, and watch this affect him," he said.

He described Jackson as "a father figure, a brother." The prosecution had alleged that Tyson played a role in holding the Arvizo family at Neverland Ranch against their will. Tyson denied it flatly.

"There was no such thing as keeping a family hostage, or a conspiracy. This is something that the prosecution and this mother created," he said.

Frank Tyson paid tribute to Michael Jackson following his passing:

When Michael Jackson passed away in 2009, Frank Tyson released a statement. As per a report shared by ABC News, Tyson described Jackson as far more than a global entertainer.

"To me, Michael was more than a superstar entertainer: he was a brother, a father figure and probably the most loving person I have ever met," Tyson said.

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He reflected on what the world had lost with Jackson's passing.

"With Michael, the world has lost its brightest star and I have lost a beloved friend whom I shall never forget. I wish he would have known just how much the whole world really loved and idolized him," he continued.

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