Ron Newt Rejected $200K Bribe to Lie About Michael Jackson

In a 2016 interview on VladTV, Ron Newt, a close friend of the Jackson family (and reportedly a cousin of Joe Jackson), recounted how his sons’ music group, The Newtrons, was signed to Joe Jackson’s label, Jackson Records, leading to personal interactions with Michael Jackson, including innocent sleepovers at Neverland Ranch.

Newt claimed that during the height of allegations against Michael in the 1990s, the National Enquirer offered him $200,000—along with the promise of an Oprah Winfrey TV special—to falsely accuse Michael of molesting his children. He refused, stating he could not lie about something that never happened and emphasizing that any real misconduct would have prompted immediate action from him.

Ron Newt died in March 2019.