Is Taj Jackson Running a Fraudulent GoFundMe Campaign?
Feb 6, 2020
GoFundMe.com is an online platform that enables the public to raise funds for a wide range of needs, from personal projects to medical expenses.
Since its launch in 2010, GoFundMe has facilitated the raising and distribution of over $5 billion. One notable campaign is "The Truth Runs Marathons" (now renamed to Righting HIStory), initiated by Taj Jackson, Michael Jackson’s nephew, in January 2019. Taj aims to raise an ambitious $777,000 (about £656,000) to finance a documentary series, which he claims will dispel myths that his uncle was a predatory child molester.
According to Wikipedia, Taj Jackson is one of Tito Jackson's three sons. Together with his brothers Taryll Jackson and T. J. Jackson, they formed the 1990s pop group, 3T.
I personally couldn't name a single 3T song, let alone sing along to one. In fact, they may be more famous for a controversial photo shoot with their uncle, Michael Jackson. In one particular photo, a 17-year-old T. J. Jackson, legally a child at the time, stood beside his uncle wearing little more than a heavily ripped T-shirt and what appears to be a pair of shorts, partly pulled down to expose a portion of his pubic hair.
Taj Jackson has unsurprisingly been outspoken in his support for his uncle since the announcement and release of Leaving Neverland, labeling the documentary subjects, James Safechuck and Wade Robson, as liars.
On his GoFundMe page, he states the following:
"Once again, we have to defend Michael Jackson's name and legacy from vicious and calculated lies. We can no longer sit back and wait for the 'right thing' to be reported or for someone else to step in and champion our cause. This is on us – fans, friends and family."
The last statement is quite peculiar, considering his family, which includes his three cousins, Prince, Blanket, and Paris, along with his grandmother Katherine, are the primary beneficiaries of the Jackson estate, rumored to be valued at up to $2 billion. This is often cited to depict James and Wade as money-hungry extortionists.
Furthermore, there are Taj's brothers, members of the Jackson 5, and Janet Jackson, who achieved significant success as an artist in the 80s and 90s.
It prompts the question: instead of resorting to a GoFundMe campaign and requesting a substantial sum of money from fans, why can't the Jackson family come together and contribute the $777,000 themselves?
Upon reviewing the description in Taj Jackson’s GoFundMe fundraiser, I found it rather perplexing. Not only is it noticeably biased and designed to tug at the heartstrings of Jackson fans, but it also includes claims that I strongly believe are false.
A brief search led me to the GoFundMe terms and conditions, which outline what is and isn't permitted on their platform. One prohibited activity, deemed as fraudulent, is "posting misleading statements in the fundraiser story."
Link: gofundme.com/c/safety/fraudulent-campaigns
Furthermore, when Taj Jackson signed up to the platform he personally agreed to not create a campaign/s "that are fraudulent, misleading, inaccurate, dishonest or impossible."
Link: gofundme.com/terms
Let’s take a look. The following are direct quotes from his GoFundMe description page (in grey with a red line), with my response below each one.
Taj Jackson states:
"I know that the unanimous acquittals and the FBI's 10-year investigation (resulting in my Uncle’s complete exoneration) should have been enough. The worst thing we can do is let this continued slander go unchallenged."
Apologists of Michael Jackson often propagate the myth that the Federal Bureau of Investigation probed Jackson for over a decade and cleared him of sexually abusing young boys. But, is there any truth to this assertion?
In short, no. One of my first blog post delved into the FBI investigation, or rather the lack thereof. Jackson apologists have unsurprisingly distorted the FBI's statements to align with their own narrative.
The FBI state the following:
"Michael Jackson (1958-2009) was a famous singer and entertainer. Between 1993 and 1994 and separately between 2004 and 2005, Jackson was investigated by California law enforcement agencies for possible child molestation. He was acquitted of all such charges. The FBI provided technical and investigative assistance to these agencies during the cases. The Bureau also investigated threats made against Mr. Jackson and others by an individual who was later imprisoned for these crimes. These investigations occurred between 1992 and 2005."
Link: vault.fbi.gov/MichaelJackson
The crucial point to note is that the FBI offered technical and investigative aid to local law enforcement agencies, specifically the Santa Barbara and Los Angeles police departments, at their request. This support was limited to the periods of 1993-1994 and separately 2004-2005. Rather than constituting a decade-long investigation, this involvement focused on specific tasks which was beyond the expertise of local law enforcement, such as analysing Jackson's computer hard drives and videotapes.
There has never been an independent FBI investigation into allegations of child sex abuse involving Michael Jackson. This fact is further corroborated by a podcast released by the FBI in December 2009.
"Mr. Schiff: It’s Michael Jackson’s FBI file, and it’s on the Internet.
Mr. Hardy: “The FBI usually receives these types of request when any person of fame or notoriety dies.”
Mr. Schiff: That’s Dave Hardy, chief of the FBI’s Freedom of Information Program, who says that while FBI didn’t investigate Jackson, the files now available show the FBI working with other agencies."
Link: fbi.gov/audio-repository
For further info on the FBI investigation, or lack of it, read post 1 and post 3.
Taj Jackson states:
"Michael Jackson was arguably the greatest musical entertainer of all time. His success and influence was felt all over the world, from the US to the UK, from India to Egypt. He broke down racial barriers and changed culture forever. He was one of the most famous human beings who ever lived. For the last 15 years of his life he was subjected to false, malicious allegations of child abuse. He successfully defended himself against those allegations and died an innocent and exonerated man, but they took their toll nonetheless."
Whether Michael Jackson was (or wasn't) the greatest musical entertainer of all time is a matter of personal opinion, not unequivocal fact. Taj asserts that his uncle lived the last 15 years of his life under a cloud of false and malicious allegations of child sex abuse, yet he fails to acknowledge Jackson's extensive unsupervised one-on-one interactions with unrelated young boys, which persisted even after accusations of abuse.
Moreover, Taj claims that his uncle successfully defended himself against these allegations and passed away as an innocent, exonerated man, but this assertion is incorrect. In 1993, Jackson chose not to defend himself in a court of law against his first accuser, Jordan Chandler, opting instead to settle the case for a reported sum exceeding 20 million dollars. A few years later, he settled another case involving Jason Francia, the son of his housekeeper, reportedly paying his mother $2 million.
In 2005, Jackson did defend himself (or more specifically through his lawyer), in the case involving Gavin Arvizo. The prosecution failed to persuade 12 jurors beyond a reasonable doubt of Jackson's guilt in molesting the boy, resulting in a "not guilty" verdict. Nevertheless, it's crucial to emphasize that Jackson was never formally exonerated. The U.S. justice system, like many others worldwide, does not declare individuals innocent or exonerated of a crime.
Taj Jackson states:
"Years after he was killed by his doctor, two men who had resolutely defended Michael's innocence in life, tried and failed, to win financial settlements from his posthumous estate. After having their bogus abuse allegations (undermined by a wealth of evidence demonstrating the contrary) dismissed by the court, they have now turned to HBO, the UK's Channel 4 and the Sundance Film Festival. These three reputable organizations have sadly compromised their Brand’s integrity by announcing they will provide a platform for a 'documentary', through which these two accusers - who have accrued large legal debts to the estate they tried and failed to extort - are still seeking to profit from their already discredited stories."
Taj Jackson is discussing James Safechuck and Wade Robson, who came forward in 2013 (Wade) and 2014 (James) to disclose that they had been sexually abused by Jackson during their childhood. Despite both men previously defending Jackson—James as a child and Wade as both a child and adult—Taj Jackson fails to mention the complexity of child sexual abuse or the common occurrence of survivors defending their abusers, often referred to as the offender-victim bond.
Taj asserts that both individuals attempted and failed to secure a financial settlement after their "false accusations" were dismissed by the court. However, Taj neglects to mention that their claims were not dismissed due to their credibility, but rather due to the statute of limitations in California initially. In January 2020, this law was altered, allowing survivors of sexual abuse to file a complaint in California up to their 40th birthday. The court has now ruled that both James and Wade can pursue legal action against Michael Jackson’s companies. It would be beneficial for Taj to clearly communicate this within his GoFundMe description, instead of misguiding people into believing that the court rejected their "false" claims.
Taj Jackson, in a rather immature manner, asserts that HBO, the UK’s Channel 4, and the Sundance Film Festival have tarnished their reputation by broadcasting Leaving Neverland. It's important to note that this is his personal opinion, not an established fact. Over the years, all three entities have showcased or supported numerous TV programs and movies. It's likely that Leaving Neverland is not the sole controversial documentary they have presented and certainly will not be the last. Leaving Neverland has garnered multiple independent awards since its release, directly conflicting with Taj Jackson’s assertions. Interestingly, there is no outcry from him regarding Lifetime TV network, which aired the Surviving R. Kelly documentary series.
Taj Jackson states:
"Michael Jackson died an innocent, vindicated man. The world needs to understand this most important and basic fact. The world also needs to understand the damage that is done to legitimate victims of abuse when self-confessed liars are not only allowed to profit from false allegations, but are given a platform to pontificate their fraudulent claims."
Once again, Taj Jackson strongly maintains that his uncle was innocent and cleared of all accusations. However, it's important to acknowledge that this is his personal opinion, not an established fact. He labels James and Wade as self-proclaimed liars seeking to benefit from the estate, but if he refers to them as "self-confessed" liars (meaning perjurers), does that imply that he believes they falsely denied being abused by Jackson as children and as adults? Although he discusses "legitimate victims," he seeks to vilify James and Wade without making any mention of how child molesters groom, manipulate, and victimize their targets.
Taj Jackson states:
"I heard the boy described Michael Jackson’s genitalia accurately” Wrong."
This refers to Jordan Chandler's description provided exclusively to the police in 1993 concerning Jackson’s genitalia and the location of one or more distinctive markings.
Multiple senior officials at the Santa Barbara and LA Police Department who have examined the photos and Jordan Chandler’s description with their own eyes, categorically state that it did match.
For a detailed analysis, please refer to my comprehensive blog post available here (post 6).
Taj Jackson states:
"Almost everything the public thinks it knows about Michael Jackson is wrong. For decades, the media has dealt in sensationalized stories about the King of Pop. Could you blame them? He is, quite simply, the biggest celebrity the world has ever known. Those sensationalized stories earned the media billions of dollars."
Yes, the media did publish stories about Michael Jackson, and it's true that some of these were not favourable. However, Michael Jackson unquestionably projected an eccentric image, even promoting unfounded stories about himself, such as claims of sleeping in an oxygen chamber and purchasing the bones of the elephant man, among others.
Given Michael Jackson's frequent alterations to his appearance through plastic surgery and his decision to spend numerous nights in bed with unrelated young boys instead of forging normal relationships with adults, it was inevitable that his behaviour would not elicit positive media attention.
Taj Jackson states:
"Michael has been dead now for almost a decade, but many of the most damaging fake stories remain part of the public consciousness, causing continual damage to his legacy – not to mention his children, who have had to grow up watching the world embrace and perpetuate these horrific falsehoods. Tarnished again by HBO, Channel 4 and the Sundance Film Festival, all of whom have gone into business with two proven liars and purgers who are seeking to personally profit from already discredited abuse allegations."
Perhaps Taj should direct the blame towards senior Jackson family members. If decisive action had been taken regarding Michael Jackson’s troubling behaviour toward young boys in the 80s or 90s, he likely wouldn't have five allegations of child molestation against his name. It's doubtful that anyone else exhibiting similar behaviour to Michael Jackson would have escaped scrutiny. Once again, Taj Jackson's response lacks sympathy or acknowledgment of the complexities of child sexual abuse, including the challenges genuine survivors face when disclosing such abuse. Instead, he has chosen to label James and Wade as proven liars and perjurers.
Taj Jackson states:
"Equally, this series will not shy away from pointing the finger of blame for many of Michael's darkest hours where it truly belongs. It will reveal how Michael was betrayed, entrapped, extorted and abused throughout his life> You will hear the stories that the media never bothered to tell you about because of their obsessive preoccupation of mercilessly bullying and ridiculing him."
Taj Jackson has been quick to deflect blame onto others, avoiding any scrutiny of his own family. It is glaringly evident that Michael Jackson faced a myriad of issues, with one of the most significant being his inappropriate relationships with young boys. He mentions extortion, likely in reference to the cases of 1993, 2005, and more recent events. However, it is important to note that Jackson was never actually extorted, as extortion is a criminal act. Even ABC News, the source of the initial extortion claim presented by Anthony Pellicano in 1993, later acknowledged that there was no extortion attempt and that they had been deceived by Jackson's hired associate.
While it is possible that Michael Jackson himself was a victim of abuse in some capacity, it is also arguable that he exploited the trust of adoring parents, ultimately gaining unchecked access to their children. When these parents became apprehensive, such as in the case of June Chandler, Jackson did not adhere to the expected standards of conduct. Instead, he showered her with lavish gifts in exchange for intimate time with her son. One could certainly interpret this behaviour as a form of abuse.
Taj Jackson extensively emphasizes his uncle, Michael Jackson, as not only one of the greatest entertainers of all time but also one of the most persecuted. Taj even asserts to be a "sexual abuse victim" and claims to understand "what it means to be a survivor" (see post 12). Despite this, he consistently criticizes every single one of Michael Jackson’s accusers and fails to address the complexities of child sexual abuse or the significant amount of time Jackson spent behind closed doors with young boys. He does not acknowledge that his uncle matched the profile of a paedophile or recognize the uniqueness of each sexual abuse case.
I am thoroughly convinced that Taj Jackson has posted misleading statements within the campaign description and has violated the terms of GoFundMe.com in his pursuit of $777,000. Just his assertions concerning the FBI and the dismissal of James and Wade’s "bogus" cases by the courts are demonstrably false.
Although it seems unlikely that Taj Jackson will reach the $777,000 target anytime soon, he has personally accumulated over $209,000 at the time of writing. According to GoFundMe, reaching the target is not a prerequisite for receiving the money, as every single donation, less fees, will be disbursed regardless of whether the original target is met. However, there is a significant concern regarding the allocation of these funds. As far as I know, there is no independent entity overseeing Taj Jackson to ensure that the money is used appropriately, or even whether it should be retained, given the circumstances under which it was gathered.
Fraudulent activities on GoFundMe are supposedly rare, with the company asserting that "fraudulent campaigns make up less than one tenth of one percent of all campaigns." However, despite reporting Taj Jackson on January 18, 2020, I received nothing more than a generic reply, thanking me for my report. To date, no action has been taken against his campaign, which continues to receive donations regularly.
Fraud on GoFundMe does indeed seem to be a significant concern. I came across a website called gofraudme.com, which exposes fraud and misuse on the platform. The website's owner has stated that GoFundMe can be inconsistent when it comes to addressing and removing fraudulent campaigns.
The issue with Taj Jackson's campaign lies in the fact that the majority of donors simply appear to be unconcerned about being misled into donating money; their primary desire seems to be supporting a series of documentaries portraying Jackson in a positive light. If thousands of individuals had realized they had been deceived into contributing tens of thousands of dollars, the campaign would likely have been terminated months ago.
I probably was not the first person to report the campaign, and hopefully, I will not be the last. I encourage anyone reading this to take similar action and advocate for the shutdown of this fraudulent campaign. This is not about taking sides in the Jackson case or opposing biased documentaries targeting specific individuals; it is because the campaign clearly violates GoFundMe's rules and undermines the integrity of genuine and honest campaigns.
You can report the campaign at the following link: gofundme.com/contact/suggest/fraud
The campaign URL is: gofundme.com/f/re-righting-history
Here is a screenshot of Taj Jackson’s campaign as of February 6, when this blog post was originally published: archive.ph/ZgYXg.
Update: As of November 2020, it seems that Taj Jackson has made significant changes to the description on his GoFundMe campaign. The timeline of this adjustment is uncertain, potentially occurring last month (October 2020), and the campaign was temporarily paused, either by Taj himself or by GoFundMe. It remains unclear whether GoFundMe intervened due to the campaign's misleading and fraudulent nature, or if Taj made the alterations to bolster support. The campaign is still far from reaching its intended target of $777,000, currently standing at $221,000 – only a minor increase since the original post in February.
Despite these revisions, the description still contains misleading statements, thereby maintaining its fraudulent nature.
All quoted information remains accurate as of February 2020.