Jackson to be charged today or tomorrow

The long-awaited charges against the "King of Pop," who turned himself in to police on November 20 on "multiple counts" of sex abuse on a child under 14, will be filed in the California town of Santa Maria, near his Neverland ranch.

"Charges against Michael Jackson will be filed at Santa Barbara County Superior Court, Santa Maria Division, on Thursday afternoon, December 18, or Friday morning, December 19," District Attorney Tom Sneddon said.

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Sneddon, who also led an investigation into allegations that Jackson abused a 13-year-old boy in 1993, said in a statement that he would announce the exact time and date of the filing of charges on Wednesday.

Sneddon said last month that the laying of formal charges had been delayed to set up a website to handle public and media interest in the case.

Jackson, 45, last month was handcuffed and subjected to humiliating police mugshots and fingerprinting when he returned to Santa Barbara on his private to face arrest last month.

He has strongly denied the allegations and dismissed them as a "big lie," while his lawyer suggested his young accuser's family saw the multi-millionaire star as a "lottery ticket" and was trying to cash in on his fortune.

The announcement of plans for the filing of criminal charges against one of the world's top entertainers came amid a slew of news reports that have cast doubt on the latest allegations against Jackson.

While prosecutors have declined to reveal details of the case against him, Jackson's accuser is reported to be a 12-year-old cancer patient who he befriended and entertained at his expansive Neverland ranch.