LOS ANGELES : Accused Stalker Pleads Innocent

A New York man accused of threatening pop superstar Janet Jackson at the Jackson family compound in Encino pleaded innocent Monday in U. S. District Court to charges of mailing threats to her through the mail.

Frank Paul Jones, 33, also pleaded innocent to new charges brought by federal prosecutors that he also threatened director John Singleton, who is working with Jackson on a film, and Jackson’s live-in boyfriend, Rene Elizondo.

If convicted of the charges, Jones faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison and $1 million in fines, said Assistant U. S. Atty. Gregory W. Jessner.

Jones was originally charged by the Los Angeles city attorney’s office with stalking and threatening Jackson after trying to gain entrance into the Jackson family compound June 22 and claiming to be the singer’s husband.

The city asked federal authorities to investigate the case, contending that evidence indicated that Jones was a far greater threat than originally believed. Authorities say Jones wrote many threatening letters to Jackson and others in an effort to get her attention, including one in which he said he would “commit mass murder at a Michael Jackson concert.”