Celebrity News
Michael Jackson’s Former Manager Frank Cascio Accused of Owing More Than $200K in Gambling Debt
Michael Jackson’s assistant-turned-manager has allegedly found himself in hot water.
Frank Cascio — who penned the 2011 memoir My Friend Michael: An Ordinary Friendship with an Extraordinary Man — has been accused of not paying gambling debts by two Instagram models he met off the dating website, Seeking Arrangement.
According to The Blast, Grace Glenn and Julia Geraci alleged they initially met Cascio, 45, after connecting on the online dating service, which, per the website, aims to pair “success-minded” singles.
During their time together, the women claim they were paid for their company, with Glenn noting that “a super chill and generous” Cascio took care of “Ubers, dinner and everything else.”
The women — both of whom are in their 20s — began to suspect something was amiss, however, when they were approached by men they did not know outside of their hotel.
“They told us that he owed a lot of money and they would pay us for any information—and they wanted to know where he was,” Glenn told The Blast, noting the pair thought it was “a prank at first,” before realizing the men were serious.
The Blast reports that the men “were allegedly looking to collect on over $200,000 in unpaid gambling debts owed by Cascio.”
Geraci initially hoped Cascio could help the women “network or at least just have some fun” but he has since gone MIA following the encounter, telling The Blast: “He stopped responding to my texts and blocked me on [Seeking Arrangement].”
Cascio had been in the late singer’s orbit since he was a child, after he was introduced to the King of Pop by his father, who met Jackson at the Helmsley Palace Hotel in NYC while serving as a general manager. Jackson eventually became very close to the Cascio family, visiting their home in New Jersey.
During their decades-spanning friendship, Jackson hired Cascio as a personal assistant when he was 18 years old and years later, as his personal manager.
Cascio has been outspoken about his close ties to the late singer, appearing on Good Morning America and The Wendy Williams Show to dish on their friendship. “I’m rich in stories and memories and experiences,” he told Williams while promoting his book. “I realized that when he passed, that I had a unique life and I’ve been blessed and I’m thankful every single day.”
In 2018, a miniseries based on Cascio’s memoir was said to be in the works, but it appears those plans fell through.
