Jackson Accuser's Mom In Hot Water

The woman whose son accused Michael Jackson of child molestation could face her own criminal trial on welfare fraud charges.

The woman was charged Tuesday with four felony counts of "perjury by false application for aid" and one count of "aid by misrepresentation," a violation of the state welfare code.

Prosecutors say she collected nearly $19,000 in welfare payments while hiding the fact she had received a $150,000 settlement from a department store chain she sued and failing to report $637 her boyfriend gave her for rent.

At Jackson's trial, which ended in June with his acquittal, the woman refused to testify about the welfare matter, invoking her Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination.

CBS News correspondent Vince Gonzales

"The Jacksons always believed this woman was a liar and a cheater," Taraborelli said. "So this only reconfirms what they thought of her."

Jackson lawyer Tom Mesereau said of the welfare-related charges, "In light of the evidence at the trial, I'm not surprised. This is certainly warranted."

But Gonzales asks: Are the allegations that the woman took $19,000 in welfare payments only a dirty legal trick? The probe began only after a Jackson attorney tipped off authorities.

"I wanted her to be charged so that the district attorney in Santa Barbara would know what kind of a person he was dealing with," Jackson attorney Carl Capozzola told CBS News.

A criminal complaint filed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Bureau of Fraud and Corruption Prosecutions said authorities learned of the fraud allegations through a tip from a private investigator.

Authorities said they received the tip on Feb. 2, 2005, just before the Jackson trial began.

CBS News is withholding the woman's name to protect the identity of her son. She has an unlisted phone number and could not be reached for comment.

The mother of Jackson's accuser was a key witness for the prosecution. Many jurors said her lack of credibility on the witness stand was a major factor in their verdicts of not guilty.

The district attorney's office recommended bail of $50,000 for the woman, who is scheduled to surrender to authorities and be arraigned Sept. 7.

Each perjury charge carries a potential sentence of two to four years in prison. The welfare code violation carries a potential sentence of 16 months to three years.

At the trial, Mesereau portrayed the woman and her family as money hungry grifters who had attached themselves to celebrities before.

He said they invented accusations against Jackson in an effort to pull "the biggest con of their careers."

The complaint said that between Nov. 15, 2001 and March 31, 2003, the woman received $18,782 in welfare aid to which she was not entitled.

This potentially bad news for Jackson's accuser's family could be good news for Jackson's bank accounts — and reputation — CBS News legal analyst Trent Copeland told Gonzales.

"I think this brings an absolute closure to the idea there might be a civil claim against Michael Jackson," Copeland said.