Prosecutors formally charged Michael Jackson with child molestation in Santa Maria, California, Thursday afternoon.

Jackson was charged with seven counts of lewd acts upon a child under the age of 14 and two counts of administering an intoxicating agent to a child (in this case liquor) for the purpose of committing a crime. The charges stem for instances that allegedly took place between February 7 and March 10 for the first five counts, and between February 20 and March 10 for the last four counts.

Though a charge of molestation carries a penalty of three to eight years in prison, each subsequent charge carries one-third of that sentence. Since force is not being alleged, Jackson would most likely face six years for the primary charge, with each subsequent count of molestation carrying two years, according to Riverside Deputy District Attorney Michael Hestrin. The other two charges of using an intoxicating agent would normally carry sentences of 16 months to three years, but since they are added on, they would carry eight months each in this case.

In a press conference outside Santa Maria Superior Court, Santa Barbara District Attorney Tom Sneddon addressed concerns about the length of time that passed — nearly a month — between Jackson's arrest and the charges being filed.

"There has been some speculation that the reason the charges were not filed until this week is that we were hoping to gather information in order to buttress what some people have called a weak case," he said. "I want to categorically say that is false. I know of no prosecutor that I have ever met who would issue an arrest warrant hoping that they would uncover evidence that would justify the filing of criminal charges later."

The delay, he said, was to allow for the creation of a court-run Web site to provide the media with information and court documents.

Sneddon also addressed questions about a leaked memo summarizing a probe by the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services, which determined in February that molestation allegations against Jackson at the time were "unfounded" (see "Authorities Say Leaked Report Has No Bearing On Jackson Case").

"To call that an investigation is a misnomer," Sneddon said. "It was an interview plain and simple, and that's all it was, and we're not concerned about it having any impact on our case."

Plus, Sneddon said, "L.A.'s a big place, and they have a lot of problems, and this particular department has a lot of problems, and everyone who lives in L.A. knows that."

Jackson's attorney, Mark Geragos, described the charges as a "shakedown" at a press conference held outside his Los Angeles office Thursday afternoon.

"What we have here is an intersection of two things," Geragos told reporters, "a shakedown for money and an axe to grind. Anyone who knows the history of the accusers, anyone who knows the history of the investigator know that the charges are driven by two things: money and revenge. There is no truth to any of this."

Jackson's arraignment, meanwhile, has been postponed from January 9 to January 16, according to court documents filed Wednesday.

"The reason for the continuance ... is that the court was not going to be in session that day except for custody arraignments," Sneddon said. "In order to accommodate you, the media, and to bring in additional staff at no extra cost ... the court asked us to continue it for one week. I do not anticipate it being continued beyond that point."

Authorities also agreed to return the singer's passport so he can travel to England from December 20 to January 6, but the passport has to be returned to the district attorney on January 4. Sneddon said Jackson had made two contractual agreements to appear there to promote his latest greatest-hits CD — agreements that were made prior to the arrest and search warrants, so the overseas travel would be allowed "this time only."

Jackson's attorney said his client is not a flight risk. "He's not running, he's not hiding," Geragos said.

For full coverage of the Michael Jackson case, see "Michael Jackson Accused."

For a full explanation of the charges, see "Michael Jackson: The Charges Against Him."

[This story was updated on 12.18.03 at 7:21 p.m. ET.]