The sequel to last summer's Michael Jackson trial is almost ready to unspool.

Janet Arvizo, the mother of the young boy who accused of child molestation in 2004, has herself been ordered to stand trial on charges of welfare fraud and perjury.


Arvizo, whose married name, ironically enough, is Janet Jackson, has been charged with fraudulently obtaining nearly $8,000 by allegedly repeatedly lying about her financial situation while applying for welfare aid from 2001-03, failing to disclose a substantial settlement from a civil suit with department store JCPenney.

The 37-year-old pleaded not guilty to all five felony counts in Los Angeles Superior Court Wednesday. She's been charged with one count of aid by misrepresentation and four counts of perjury by application for aid.

She is due back in court Aug. 7 for the start of the trial, though Superior Court Judge Barbara Johnson said Wednesday the date could be postponed up to 30 days should a deal be impending that might eliminate the need for a trial.

Arvizo first came under suspicion during the Jackson trial, at which time she came under fire from the pop star's attorneys regarding why she continued to accept welfare when she had $30,000 in her bank account. She invoked the Fifth Amendment while on the stand.

Arvizo's lawyer, Patricia J. Hattersley, said she hoped to work with the prosecution to come to some sort of deal and resolve the case without going to trial.

"We're going to talk about it," Hattersley said outside the court. "That's why we asked to put it over as long as we did to resolve it quietly."

"We are open to discussions. Her position is she never misrepresented anything intentionally."

As for Arvizo herself, she's apparently taking the courtroom drama in stride, telling TMZ.com upon leaving the court house that "Today is a new day!"

According to the Los Angeles County prosecutors, Arvizo's crimes reportedly took place between November 2001 and March 2003 with the investigators not catching wind of the alleged misdoings until February 2005, after a private investigator tipped off the Department of Public Social Services.

Arvizo was initially accused of having fraudulently banked nearly $18,800 from welfare, but the figure was soon revised to the $8,000 she's currently been charged with.

If convicted, Arvizo would likely face up to three years' probation.