Michael’s Secret Videographers Sentenced to Five Years in Prison

The owners of a private jet company and its security department were sentenced to five years in prison. In November 2003, when Michael was flying from Las Vegas to Santa Barbara to surrender himself to the local police, he and his lawyer, Mark Geragos, were secretly and unlawfully filmed. On Monday morning, Jeffrey Borer and Arvel Jett Reeves pleaded guilty to their charges: illegally filming Michael and his lawyer, and their intention to sell the footage to the media. After the trial, defense attorney Daniel Shallman said: “The truth is that celebrities also need their privacy, especially when they meet with their lawyers. These gentlemen intended to make some money by selling this tape to the media... It was pure greed.” The two defendants were sentenced to serve five years in state prison and to pay $250,000 in fines, based on the jury’s verdict. They also lost their work permits. Source: eMJey / MTV News / L.A. Times