Britney Spears' dad 'growled at her sons and acted like a commander' during Las Vegas shows, ex-crew member claims

BRITNEY Spears' dad acted like a "commander" during her Las Vegas shows, "growled" at her sons and staff were scared of him, an ex-crew member has claimed exclusively to The Sun.

The pop star's father, Jamie, who is facing a mounting backlash over her conservatorship amid the #FreeBritney campaign, has been in control of her financial and personal assets and estate since 2008, following her public breakdown.

Britney had a four-year residency in Las Vegas from 2013, which grossed a reported $138 million across nearly 250 shows, but the star is reportedly refusing to work as she protests her dad's role in court.

Ex-crew member Daniel Lucas moved from Los Angeles to Vegas before the Piece of Me shows to work for Araca Merchandise, selling clothing and accessories at all of concerts, and eventually worked as a store manager.

He says he came into contact with her family, including her dad Jamie and mom Lynn "multiple times" and saw the 39-year-old star on occasion, along with her siblings, Bryan and Jamie Lynn, and her two sons.

Talking about Britney's dad, Daniel exclusively told The Sun: "He was there all the time, and he went to every show.

"We all knew that we had to be on top of our game when he was around. No matter what.

"When I first met him, he was very pleasant, he was nice. I was like, 'Oh, it's Britney's dad, that's so cool.'

"And then after a while it was just, 'Okay, he's kind of scary. I don't want to help him. Can somebody else go talk to him?'

"He acted like a commander, it was very intimidating and uncomfortable when he was around.

"He ran a tight ship and everyone was on their best behavior. When I had to talk to him, I was very nervous, I was like, 'Ok, yes sir.'

"After we worked there for a while he started treating us more like the help, he wasn't very polite anymore.

"He would just come up to us, demand things and then walk away."

Daniel added: "I think he doesn't really care about Britney's well-being, he just cares about what he's getting out of it.

"I don't think he should have anything to do with controlling her money or what she does as a person."

Daniel alleges he once witnessed Jamie "growl" at Britney's sons whom she shares with ex Kevin Federline – Sean Preston, 15, and Jayden James, 14 – in front of staff at their store in early 2014, resulting in everyone being stunned into silence.

"I remember specifically when her kids were with him and another woman,and the kids were being a little rambunctious, he growled very angrily in a deep voice at them and they stopped immediately," he said.

"They were shocked and it weirded me out. When he left, I remember looking at my boss like, 'Wow, that was funny, but in a scary way, what the hell just happened?'"

Daniel said he hadn't realized how bad the situation was until it was reported Britney's children were granted a restraining order against their grandfather in September 2019.

It came after their father accused Jamie of being involved in a "physical altercation" with the star's eldest son, Sean, when he allegedly broke down a door and grabbed him during a heated moment.

Sources told TMZ at the time there were "no visible bruises or injuries" on Sean, but Federline felt the incident was serious enough to report to the police, although he was never prosecuted.

District Attorney Gregory Totten issued a press release saying that criminal charges would not be pursued against Jamie, stating: "After reviewing the evidence, there is insufficient proof that a criminal offense was committed by Mr. Spears."

Federline's longtime lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan, said Britney's ex had "no desire" for Jamie to be prosecuted, while the star's dad has never commented publicly on the allegations.

Kaplan said: "Now that there is an order in place that adequately protects the boys, the prosecution is of no concern to Kevin – if anything he's glad Jamie does not have to deal with it."

Daniel also claims in the early days of the residency Jamie would ask politely for merchandise and speak to those manning the booths, but as time went on he was "rude" and would snatch up t-shirts to give out.

"After about a year or so, he'd just be like, give me this, this, this, [or] he would like grab the shirts and stuff without talking to us about it, which would mess up our whole inventory," he said.

He says he feels sorry for Britney and her family and he'd been a huge fan before he went to work on her shows, believing she saved him during a difficult time in LA.

He told The Sun: "I got hired before the store opened and the shows started, I wasn't having a good life out in LA and I needed something new.

"My family took me to see her when I was super young, multiple times, and then growing up I went to every single tour.

"I was like, 'I'm going to figure out a way to work for Britney Spears'. I moved out here on her birthday, when they had her stand outside of Planet Hollywood to promote the shows.

"Growing up, for a lot of gays, we just had Britney Spears to look up to.

"She was that girl that really didn't give a f**k. I wanted to dance like her, be her, live through her.

"To see how everybody tore her down was just really depressing, it made you relate to her a little bit more.

"She wasn't just this big pop star, she was a human being who needed help, and nobody was there to help her, they just used her.

"We all love her. We all want her to be happy. I couldn't care less if she never performs or releases anything again, if she doesn't want to, I just want her to be happy and in control of her life."

The Sun has reached out to Jamie Spears for comment, but did not receive a reply.

Britney's dad has insisted the conservatorship is in the star's "best interests" after a court ruled he and Bessemer Trust will now have equal power over her finances.

A statement released by his lawyer, Vivian Lee Thoreen, read: "My client, Jamie Spears, has diligently and professionally carried out his duties as one of Britney’s conservators and his love for his daughter and dedication to protecting her is clearly apparent to the court.

"My client looks forward to working with Bessemer to continue an investment strategy in the best interests of his daughter.

"The probate court is highly experienced in these matters and takes them very seriously."

Daniel said he was also "really close" to her assistant, Felicia Culotta, and was sad to see her take a smaller role in the star's life after her dad took over managing her affairs.

"She was just like doing the VIP tours, I thought that was kind of odd," he said.

"I brought it up. I was like, 'So what happened?' She was like, 'Oh, nothing. I just wanted a different role.' I feel like at the time she had to say that."

Felicia, a close family friend, starred in the popular documentary, 'Framing Britney Spears', and has given interviews to a number of media outlets since the show aired, after first chaperoning the star when she was just 15.

Admitting she had to take a "backseat" in 2013, she told producers: "I don’t know why the Britney company didn’t hire me.

"All I know is, maybe, they didn’t know the role I had played earlier. So I took a backseat and simply did what I was hired to do.

"I don’t really know what went on, I just don’t know that they knew her well enough to realize her capabilities in making the decisions."

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