The Arvizo family has remained out of the spotlight since accusing Michael Jackson of molestation and false imprisonment in 2005

NEED TO KNOW

• The Arvizo family accused Michael Jackson of child molestation and false imprisonment during his 2005 criminal trial

• Janet Arvizo pleaded no contest to welfare fraud in 2006 and reportedly relocated to Georgia with her new husband
• Gavin Arvizo married in Atlanta in 2013

In 2005, the Arvizo family made national headlines when they accused Michael Jackson of child molestation. But since taking the stand over 20 years ago, they haven't spoken out again.

The King of Pop was first introduced to the family at a hospital, where Gavin Arvizo was being treated for a rare form of cancer in 2000, per The Independent. Jackson invited the family to visit Neverland Ranch and asked them to participate in Martin Bashir's controversial 2003 documentary, Living with Michael Jackson.

In the project, the singer held hands with the boy and admitted that though he regularly shared a bed with children, it wasn't "sexual," according to Rolling Stone. The film reignited prior child molestation allegations and led the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office to reopen its investigation into Jackson. It was further fueled when Gavin told police that the pop star had molested him twice. His mother, Janet Arvizo, also claimed that her family was held against their will at the ranch, The Guardian reported.

Jackson faced several charges during his 2005 criminal trial, during which his lawyers claimed that he was a victim of the Arvizo family, who had a history of making sexual abuse claims and wanted to shake down the singer for money, according to The Guardian.

After the singer was acquitted of all charges, Gavin, Janet and their other relatives who testified against him went back to their private lives.

So, where is Gavin Arvizo's family now? Here's everything to know about them, two decades after accusing Michael Jackson of child molestation and false imprisonment.

Janet, Star and Davellin testified during Jackson’s 2005 trial

During Jackson's criminal trial in 2005, Gavin and his mother took the witness stand along with his younger brother, Star Arvizo, and his older sister, Davellin Arvizo, per The Guardian.

Gavin, who was 15 at the time, testified that the singer gave him alcohol and molested him twice at Neverland Ranch, the Australian outlet ABC reported. Though Star told the jury that he witnessed those two incidents, the defense pointed out multiple inconsistencies in his story, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

Davellin claimed she never witnessed any molestation, but testified that she saw Jackson kiss her brother on the head and cheek, and that he supplied them with alcohol, per the Irish Examiner.

Additionally, the children's mother, Janet, claimed that she and her family had been held captive by the singer after the Bashir documentary aired, The Guardian reported.

However, she was so erratic on the stand, former juror Melissa Herard later admitted in the 2026 Netflix docuseries Michael Jackson: The Verdict that she had nicknamed her "Janet from another planet."

Janet remarried in 2004

BBC News reported that after Janet divorced David Arvizo — with whom she shares her three children — she married U.S. Army Major Jay Jackson in 2004. According to the New York Daily News, her legal name changed to Janet Jackson.

In The Verdict, former prosecutor Ron Zonen said that her marriage to David impacted her unpredictable demeanor on the stand.

"Janet was a very complicated woman," he explained in the docuseries. "[She was] married to a man that was violent and abusive and that had an effect on how she viewed the world."

She pleaded no contest to welfare fraud in 2006

The Arvizo family previously alleged that Gavin, Janet and Star were beaten by security guards in a parking lot after leaving the department store with clothes they didn't pay for, per The Telegraph. Janet also claimed that a guard sexually assaulted and falsely imprisoned her.

After filing a civil lawsuit against JCPenney in 2001, the family was awarded $137,500, the New York Daily News reported. Around this time, Janet completed a welfare application in which she failed to disclose that she had received a large settlement from the retailer, per the Los Angeles Times.

During Jackson's 2005 trial, the Arvizo family was questioned about that case. Janet admitted lying on her welfare application and avoided further questions using the Fifth Amendment, according to The New York Times.

The following fall, in November 2006, Janet pleaded no contest to one count of welfare fraud. When she accepted a plea deal in the case, her lawyer claimed that she only received $32,000 from that settlement and that the money had been spent by the time she applied for welfare benefits, per the Los Angeles Times.

Janet agreed to pay over $8,600 in restitution and complete 150 hours of community service. At the time, prosecutors stated that if she fulfilled these conditions by her sentencing date in April 2007, the felony charge would be reduced to a misdemeanor and she would not serve prison time, according to New York Daily News.

The family relocated to Georgia

While pleading no contest to welfare fraud, Janet told the court that her family was relocating to Georgia because her husband was being transferred to an Army base there, per the New York Daily News and the Los Angeles Times.

Though it's unclear if the Arvizo family remained in Georgia, Gavin got married in Atlanta in 2013. The Daily Beast reported that his mother, Star and Davellin, who had given birth to a daughter, were present.

Where is the Arvizo family now?

Since Jackson's trial in 2005, no member of the Arvizo family has spoken publicly, granted interviews or appeared in any documentaries about the case, including The Verdict.

Source link