Famous (And not so famous) Celebrities In Trouble Thread

[TexasStooge]

Rap label founder to be charged after drug investigation

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal investigation of the rap music industry's alleged ties to the drug world has resulted in charges against the founder of a platinum-selling record label and a notorious crack kingpin, law enforcement sources said Tuesday.

Federal prosecutors were to announce an indictment Wednesday against Irv "Gotti" Lorenzo, head of The Inc., whose flagship artists are Ja Rule and Ashanti, and Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff.

The law enforcement sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the pair would be charged in the murder conspiracy and money laundering case. The record label head's brother, Christopher Lorenzo, and The Inc. also are named as defendants.

The sources requested anonymity and declined to detail any of the charges because the indictment had not been made public.

The three men deny any wrongdoing. McGriff is serving time on an unrelated gun conviction.

Gerald Lefcourt, who is representing Irv Lorenzo, insisted Tuesday that The Inc. is a legitimate business financed by part owner Island Def Jam, a Universal Music label. The Inc. — formerly known as Murder Inc. — has sold about 20 million records behind Ja Rule and Ashanti.

"Ultimately, he will be vindicated," Lefcourt said.

McGriff's lawyer, Robert Simels, accused the government of relying on cooperating witnesses who were charged with lesser crimes. "I'll be curious to see which one of these creative geniuses have been able to weave a tale that the prosecutors want to hear," he said.

The record-label chief and McGriff are suspected of funneling proceeds from McGriff's cocaine and heroin operation to The Inc., according to court documents filed in support of search and property seizure warrants.

In recent weeks, federal agents have arrested an accountant for The Inc. and the manager for Ja Rule. At least five other defendants, including associates of McGriff, already have been charged.

McGriff, 44, was founder of the Supreme Team, once one of the city's most violent drug gangs. Investigators suspect that after he finished serving about nine years for drug conspiracy in 1997, he set about reviving his drug-dealing operation.

[TexasStooge]

Rap mogul 'Suge' Knight arrested after marijuana found in truck

BARSTOW, California (AP) — Rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight was booked on suspicion of violating his parole after police found marijuana in his truck during a traffic stop, authorities said Sunday.

Knight was arrested Saturday evening in Barstow, California, and held by sheriff's officials pending his transfer next week to state prison, said sheriff's Cpl. Lorraine Riser.

State officials would then review his case to determine whether he should be held or released, Riser said.

Police said they searched Knight's Ford pickup and found marijuana after pulling him over for making an unsafe U-turn. He was cited for not having insurance.

A woman in the vehicle, identified as Alexis Wilkenson, 18, of Las Vegas, allegedly had a fake ID and was arrested for investigation of providing false information to police. She was later released.

Knight, 39, co-founder of the pioneering rap label Death Row Records, was released from prison in 2001 after serving time for assault and weapons violations. He recently served an additional 10-month prison sentence for violating his parole and striking a Hollywood nightclub valet.

A call to Jonathan Wolfson, a publicist who has represented Knight, was not immediately returned Sunday morning.

Barstow is in San Bernardino County about 100 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles.

[TexasStooge]

Kid Rock Arrested on Assault Charges

By JOHN GEROME, Associated Press Writer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Kid Rock was arrested Wednesday by Nashville police on charges that he punched a disc jockey at a strip club.

The 34-year-old rapper was released after posting a $3,000 bond on a charge of simple assault, a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail.

"Everything is wonderful. It was a beautiful night," Kid Rock said as he left the Criminal Justice Center.

He had appeared a few hours earlier before Night Court Commissioner Howard Taradash. Kid Rock laughed and joked with the two officers who arrested him and two others there for the hearing as he stood in the dock — a small room with a large glass window that separates defendants from the commissioner and observers.

Authorities said he was charged after a 3 a.m. altercation at Christie's Cabaret near downtown Nashville.

"Inside the establishment there was a squabble concerning, I guess, the selection of music," Nashville police Sgt. James Smith told reporters. "Again there are no major injuries but an assault did take place."

Television footage from outside the club showed the DJ, identified as Jay Campos, with a red mark on his face and holding his broken eyeglasses.

Arresting officer Lt. Calvin Hullett said Kid Rock surrendered at an apartment where he had been staying. He was in town to perform at a memorial service for songwriter Merle Kilgore Tuesday at Ryman Auditorium.

Hullett described Kid Rock as "very cooperative," despite giving officers the slip earlier. Hullett said the rapper left through a back door of another strip club when authorities showed up to arrest him.

When officers caught up with him, Kid Rock said he had dodged them because he wanted to sober up before being booked, Hullett said.

Born Bob Ritchie, Kid Rock was a Detroit-area hip-hop DJ when he broke through with 1998's "Devil Without a Cause," which successfully married hard rock beats with rap lyrics.

[TexasStooge]

Random House sues P. Diddy over advance for his memoir

NEW YORK (AP) — Random House Inc. is suing Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, alleging that the hip-hop mogul never paid back a $300,000 advance for a memoir he never completed.

In papers filed Monday at the state Supreme Court in Manhattan, the publisher alleged that Combs and his corporation, Bad Boy, have "simply kept the money they never rightfully earned." Random House is seeking the advance's return, plus interest.

"Random House has seldom resorted to a legal course of action with its prospective authors who don't write the books we have contracted for, but Mr. Sean Combs has left us no choice," the publisher said in a statement Tuesday.

"He signed an agreement with our Ballantine imprint in 1998 to write his autobiography, which he agreed to complete and deliver to us in 1999. We now have waited for over five years and have received neither the manuscript nor the return of the money we advanced Mr. Combs."

Combs' publicist, Rob Shuter, said Tuesday that there was a "disagreement with Random House that we hoped would be resolved without litigation. We anticipate that this will be resolved quickly."

According to the court papers, Combs signed with Random House in 1998 and then arranged on his own to collaborate with Mikal Gilmore, a contributing editor to Rolling Stone and author of the acclaimed "Shot in the Heart." A manuscript was to be completed by Dec. 15, 1999, but the deadline passed and, in early 2000, Random House notified Combs that he was in breach of contract and that the publisher wanted the money back.

"Year after year," the papers allege, the publisher sent follow-up letters.

Combs is not the first musician who failed to meet the deadline for delivery of his life's story. Years ago, Mick Jagger received a seven-figure advance to write his memoirs. He eventually returned the money, saying he couldn't remember anything of significance.

[TexasStooge]

Arrest warrant issued for award-winning rapper Krayzie Bone

HAMILTON, Ohio (Court TV/AP) — An arrest warrant has been issued for the Grammy-winning rap artist known as Krayzie Bone after he allegedly was a no-show for a hearing in a child support case.

The rapper, a member of the group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony whose real name is Anthony Henderson, failed to attend the hearing Wednesday in Butler County Common Pleas Court, said Joe Statzer, a spokesman for the prosecutor's office.

Failure to appear is a felony punishable by up to 18 months in prison.

Henderson, 31, of Los Angeles, was indicted last August in this southwest Ohio city on two counts of felony nonsupport of dependents. Each count is punishable by up to a year in prison.

The case involves a 6-year-old boy. The rapper has contested paternity, but tests confirmed he is the father, according to the prosecutor.

Calls Thursday to a listing for an Anthony Henderson in Los Angeles went unanswered, and the prosecutor's office said Henderson was not represented by an attorney.

Bone Thugs-n-Harmony released its debut album, "Faces of Death," in 1990. The group won the 1997 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance for "Tha Crossroads."

[TexasStooge]

C-Murder's Jailhouse Raps Slammed

By Josh Grossberg, E! News Online

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana - He's a convicted murderer serving a life sentence, but that's not keeping C-Murder from his day job.

The hip-hopster, whose real name is Corey Miller, has drawn the ire of authorities in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, after he somehow managed to make a music video while behind bars awaiting a second trial in the shooting death of a teenage boy.

And this came after the rapper recorded a 15-track album, The Truest S--t I Ever Said, while incarcerated at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center. The CD is due out Mar. 22, along with the clandestinely-shot video for the lead single, "Y'all Heard of Me."

All of which comes as news to Sheriff Harry Lee.

"Nowhere was it ever mentioned that someone would be doing a commercial enterprise in the jail," Lee told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "I'm p***ed off that that attorney would trick me."

"That attorney" being Ronald Rakosky, who is representing C-Murder in his murder case. Rakosky was allowed jailhouse visits with the rapper last fall, and the attorney brought along recording equipment to capture C-Murder's rhymes.

"I know of no law or regulation that prohibited anything that we were doing," Rakosky tells the Times-Picayune.

The music video, which was leaked online last week, cuts between Miller in orange prison garb rapping about how he and other young blacks are subjected to racial profiling and fellow rapper B.G. performing before a huge crowd at a New Orleans housing project.

Rakosky, who did not return calls seeking comment Friday, also appears in the video.

According to the rapper's label, KOCH Records, the C-Murder footage was taken from two interviews that the sheriff had permitted, one with Court TV and a second with a local cable-access show called Phat Phat 'N All That.

The sheriff, however, says he never imagined the sit-downs would morph into impromptu musical performances that would allow C-Murder an opportunity to revive his once burgeoning career. And reps for both Court TV and Phat Phat said they did not give Koch or the rapper permission to use the segments.

Rakosky is quoted in the newspaper saying "I don't know how the footage was obtained. I wasn't invovled in the process.

Lee, meanwhile, says he will file a lawsuit to block C-Murder from profiting off his crime and to return any royalties to the county. "They used my jail. I think I'm entitled to some money," Lee told the newspaper.

In September 2003, a Louisiana jury convicted C-Murder of second-degree murder for the Jan. 12, 2002 slaying of a 16-year-old fan outside a nightclub. Last April, however, a judge granted the hip-hop star a new trial after determining prosecutors withheld pertinent information about witnesses called to implicate C-Murder. Prosecutors have appealed that ruling and are awaiting a new decision.

The rapper was also rung up by a grand jury on second-degree attempted murder charges related to a separate case in which he allegedly pulled a semi-automatic outside a Baton Rouge nightspot and tried to shoot the club's owner and bodyguard.

The Truest features such ditties as "I Know I Live in the Ghetto" and "Locked Up REMIX" and an array of guest artists, including Capone, Fat Joe and Soulja Slim.

"This record is real street; I'm kickin' it back to the streets," Miller says in a press release. "It's about the trials and tribulations of my life. People will be able to relate to it."

Corey Miller comes from a family of rap royalty. His older brother is Master P and his nephew is Lil' Romeo. A third brother is rapper Silkk the Shocker.

After recording with his brothers in a mid-'90s outfit called Tru, C-Murder went on to record four solo albums for Master P's No Limit Records, starting with 1998's Life or Death and ending with 2002's aptly titled Trapped in Crime.

[TexasStooge]

Backstreet Boy Nick Carter arrested for drunken driving

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (Court TV/AP) — Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys was arrested last weekend for alleged drunken driving, police said.

Carter, 25, was behind the wheel of a vehicle observed committing a traffic violation when police stopped him Saturday night in downtown Huntington Beach, police Lt. Dave Bunetta said.

"The officer that stopped him noticed some traffic violation was occurring," Bunetta said. "When he was contacted by the officers they conducted an investigation which would include field sobriety tests and they formed the opinion he was under the influence."

Carter was arrested and booked for investigation of drunken driving and his vehicle was impounded, Bunetta said. The type of vehicle wasn't disclosed.

It wasn't known how long Carter was in jail. Motorists arrested for drunken driving in Huntington Beach are typically held for a minimum of four hours then, after evaluation, are released with a citation ordering them to appear in court within 45 days, Bunetta said.

"Nick Carter deeply regrets the current situation. He is on doctor-prescribed medication and was unaware of its interaction possibilities," Carter publicist Juliette Harris said in a statement Monday.

The Backstreet Boys, whose hits include "I Want it That Way," "Shape of My Heart" and "Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely," recently announced a 13-city tour that will start March 21 in New York.

Jive Records said they will perform all their hits plus songs from their upcoming CD. The Backstreet Boys haven't produced a new album since 2000's "Black & Blue."

[TexasStooge]

Grand Jury indicts R&B singer Gerald Levert on assault charges

CLEVELAND, Ohio (Court TV/AP) — A Cuyahoga County grand jury indicted Gerald Levert on assault charges in a confrontation with police during a traffic stop last month.

Earlier this month, prosecutor Anthony Jordan said there was no evidence the R&B singer caused serious physical harm to patrolmen Ronald W. Ross and Daniel Lentz.

Levert, 38, was charged with drunken driving, impeding traffic, obstructing police business and resisting arrest.

On Tuesday, a grand jury indicted Levert on two charges of felonious assault and a charge of obstructing official business. The grand jury indicted James Austin Jr., 27, on the same charges and a charge of assault on a police officer.

A message was left Tuesday at Jordan's office seeking comment.

Police said Levert and Austin, a passenger in his car, intervened when authorities stopped a friend of Levert's for speeding at 12:45 a.m. Feb. 25.

Ross said he hurt his wrist and Lentz said he injured his shoulder while trying to detain Austin. Officials said the officers missed work the day after the confrontation.

Levert is scheduled for arraignment March 22 in Common Pleas Court.

He is the son of Eddie Levert, a founding member of The O'Jays, a longtime R&B group. Gerald Levert became lead singer of the trio Levert in 1985. He began his solo recording career in 1991.

[TexasStooge]

Actress Hilary Swank fights $150 fine in New Zealand

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Hilary Swank, the Oscar-winning star of fight flick "Million Dollar Baby," is going toe-to-toe with New Zealand authorities over a $150 fine for bringing fruit into the country, local media reported Sunday.

Swank was fined in January for failing to declare an apple and an orange in her luggage when she arrived at Auckland International Airport, The Sunday Star-Times newspaper reported.

"It's a pretty standard practice to issue an instant fine for a biosecurity risk," said Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry spokesman William Minchin.

Thousands of visitors arriving in New Zealand each year are fined on the spot for not declaring products like fruit, which cannot be imported into New Zealand, and hundreds contest the fines, Minchin said.

New Zealand is largely free of pests which cause billions of dollars in damage to crops and livestock in other parts of the world and has strict quarantine guidelines.

Swank has instructed lawyers to appear in court next week to contest the fine, the paper reported. It quoted Swank's publicist, Troy Nankin, as saying "Oh, that was the apple in the purse incident," and declining to elaborate.

Swank won Best Actress Oscars for her roles in the 1999 movie "Boys Don't Cry" and Clint Eastwood-directed "Million Dollar Baby."

[TexasStooge]

Actress Rhea Perlman fined for keeping Schwarzenegger donation secret

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) — Actress Rhea Perlman has agreed to a fine against the DeVito Family Trust for failing to file a major donor report on a $10,000 contribution to Californians for Schwarzenegger in 2003.

The state's Fair Political Practices Commission said Friday it would fine the trust $400 for failing to disclose political donations during the 2003 gubernatorial recall campaign that put Arnold Schwarzenegger in office.

Perlman, who is married to actor and director Danny DeVito, agreed to the fine in January on behalf of the trust.

Perlman had an unlisted phone number and could not be reached for comment Saturday. There was no immediate response to a call seeking comment from a spokesman for DeVito.

[TexasStooge]

Prosecutor: Lil' Kim Believed She Was Above Law

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Rapper Lil' Kim believed she was above the law and that being a Grammy-winning superstar allowed her to lie to a grand jury investigating a "Wild West shootout" outside a Manhattan radio station, a federal prosecutor said during closing arguments Monday.

Lil' Kim, 30, whose real name is Kimberly Jones, is on trial for lying to a federal grand jury investigating two of her associates -- Suif Jackson and Damion Butler -- in a 2001 shootout with a rival hip-hop group. Both men have pleaded guilty to firing shots that left one man injured.

Prosecutors say Lil' Kim tried to protect the two by telling the grand jury during its 2003 probe that Butler was not there that day and that she did not know Jackson.

"Maybe Kimberly Jones bought into her own image. Maybe she believed she was a Queen Bee above the law. That for a multifaceted superstar the rules are different for her," said Cathy Seibel, assistant U.S. Attorney. Queen Bee is Lil' Kim's record label.

Defense lawyers were to give their closing arguments later Monday.

Lil' Kim, known for her racy outfits and sexually explicit language, has dressed demurely during the trial and Monday she sported a pink blouse and charcoal gray suit clenched at the waist with a wide black leather belt.

The case stems from a Feb. 25, 2001, incident outside Hot 97 radio station where Lil' Kim and associates from the rap group Junior M.A.F.I.A. had appeared as on-air guests.

After they left the studio that Sunday afternoon, members of her entourage and a rival hip-hop group were involved in the shootout.

Prosecutors said some 30 bullets were fired from six guns in what they described as a "Wild West shootout."

Lil' Kim testified last week that she had been traumatized by the shooting and could not remember Butler being at the scene when she was questioned in front of the grand jury two years later. She also said she could not identify a picture of Jackson, a friend she had known since she was a teen-ager.

Seibel called Lil' Kim's testimony "preposterous" and said it insulted the Manhattan federal jury's intelligence.

The performer's co-defendant and friend Monique Dopwell also told the grand jury that Butler was not there that day.

Seibel said both women remembered many other details from the day of the incident, but both conveniently erased Butler from the scene.

"They were trying their best to deceive the grand jury," Seibel said. "Both defendants told the same lie ... it shows an intentional plan of action."

Video cameras at the station and on the street showed Butler was part of the group. He can be seen escorting them into the radio station and later standing on the street next to Lil' Kim when the shooting started.

[TexasStooge]

'Baywatch' actress arrested at vigil

BURBANK, Calif. (Court TV/AP) — Former "Baywatch" actress Alexandra Paul and another woman were arrested at a vigil meant to save General Motors' EV1 electric cars.

On Monday, Paul and Colette Divine were in a car that blocked the path of trucks hauling the cars to Arizona to be destroyed, police said. Both women were booked on suspicion of failing to obey an officer, police Lt. William Berry said. They were released on their own recognizance and were scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday.

A call to Paul, who played Stephanie Holden on the TV series, wasn't immediately returned Monday night.

Paul and Divine were among dozens of electric car supporters holding an around-the-clock vigil outside a General Motors Corp. training center in Burbank, where more than 70 EV1s had been stored en route to a recycling plant near Mesa, Ariz.

"The one thing they (Paul and Divine) asked to relay to media was that it was a very peaceful act and they are very committed to saving these cars," said organizer Chelsea Sexton, a former GM employee responsible for promoting the EV1. Sexton now advises environmental groups and automakers on alternate-fuel vehicles.

GM, which says the cars never became popular enough to turn a profit, has declined the group's offer to pay $1.9 million for the vehicles. The company said the cars must be destroyed because there isn't enough supply of the car's 2,000 parts. That could make the vehicles unsafe and lead to lawsuits, GM contends.

The group, which includes environmentalists, technology enthusiasts and entertainment industry workers, said the monthlong vigil would continue.

Police said Paul and Divine were in a car that blocked the center's driveway for two hours as trucks loaded with EV1s were attempting to leave.

Four trucks hauled away 28 EV1s after the driveway was cleared, said GM spokesman Dave Barthmuss.

[alicia-w]

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Soap opera star Jason Cook was arrested after he allegedly became argumentative with airport officials who found a pipe with marijuana debris in his luggage.

The "Days of Our Lives" actor was arrested Monday at the Des Moines International Airport about 6 a.m. Monday on charges of public intoxication and drug paraphernalia.

He was in Des Moines over the weekend for the 31st annual Variety Club telethon.

"Jason appeared to be intoxicated, showing signs as bloodshot watery eyes, argumentative behavior, inability to follow instructions and smelled strongly of an alcoholic beverage," a police report said.

Stan Reynolds, volunteer producer of the telethon, said he bailed Cook out of jail.

"I'm just sick to my stomach over this. I just love this young man. This is his fourth year coming here to help us, and he just works his tail off for the kids," Reynolds said.

The telethon raised $3.5 million for children's

[TexasStooge]

Paula Abdul may be charged in hit-and-run accident

LOS ANGELES, Ca. (Court TV/AP) — Prosecutors are considering whether to file criminal charges against singer Paula Abdul for an alleged hit-and-run freeway accident last December, officials said Thursday.

Frank Mateljan, city attorney's office spokesman, said a Mercedes-Benz belonging to the "American Idol" judge clipped another car Dec. 20 on the 101 Freeway in the San Fernando Valley. The driver apparently failed to look while changing lanes and did not stop to exchange information, he said.

Nobody was hurt in the accident. The driver and passenger in the struck car took down the Mercedes' license plate number and photographed it with a cell phone camera, Mateljan said. The plate was traced to Abdul.

Abdul was out of the country Thursday and could not immediately be reached for comment, said her publicist, Stephanie Sher.

[TexasStooge]

Ex-Stone Roses singer accused of attacking fan

SAN FRANCISCO, Ca. (AP) — Ian Brown, former singer of the Stone Roses, was briefly detained for allegedly attacking a fan who jumped onstage during a concert and beating a bouncer who intervened, police said.

Brown, 42, was released after questioning Tuesday night and won't be charged, police said. Investigators were having a tough time sorting through conflicting descriptions of the melee.

Shortly after taking the stage at the Great American Music Hall, witnesses said Brown started and stopped his old band's hit "Made of Stone" three times. He threw a microphone at a sound engineer and another into the balcony, according to witnesses.

"It was a very unprofessional way to act," said Leah Matanky, a club publicist.

An unidentified man climbed onto the stage and attacked Brown, who joined his bandmates in beating and kicking the man, witnesses said. Security guards dragged the man from the stage, but the singer and band members continued attacking him, witnesses and managers said.

When guard Gavin Baskett tried to stop Brown, the singer pushed him away, and the band attacked him, witnesses said. Several told police that Brown participated in the attack. Baskett was treated at a hospital and released.

Brown's publicist, Sioux Zimmerman, said the performer had no way of knowing who the guard was because he had come from behind.

[TexasStooge]

Police urge concert cancellation after rapper Sizzla's arrest on weapon charges

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (AP) — Police said Barbados shouldn't allow Sizzla, who was arrested in Jamaica last week in connection with a weapons seizure, to perform at a concert in Bridgetown.

Sizzla, whose real name is Miguel Collins, is set to perform Sunday at the National Stadium. The status of the concert was unclear following his arrest in Kingston Thursday. The dancehall singer remains in custody but hasn't been charged.

Attempts to reach Sizzla's manager, Phillip Durrell, for comment have been unsuccessful.

"I will recommend to the Minister of Home Affairs not to give him a work permit" to enter the country, Barbados police commissioner Darwin Dottin said Saturday. "Perhaps his presence here would be inimical to good order."

Sizzla was among 33 people arrested after police and military raided the community of August Town in Jamaica's capital of Kingston. Authorities said they seized six AK-47 rifles, three sniper rifles, a submachine gun and 58 rounds of ammunition.

[TexasStooge]

Former 'Growing Pains' star gets three years' probation for drunk driving

VENTURA, Calif. (AP) — Former "Growing Pains" actress Tracey Gold was placed on three years' probation after she pleaded guilty to a second felony drunken driving charge in a rollover crash that injured her husband and two of their three children.

Tracey Gold Marshall, 35, pleaded guilty in January to felony drunken driving.

On Monday, a Superior Court judge decided to reduce the charge to a misdemeanor, but Deputy District Attorney Jeff Gorrell objected and said an earlier plea bargain was off and he wouldn't drop the child-endangerment charges against Marshall.

To avoid those charges, she pleaded guilty to the second felony drunken-driving charge.

Judge Bruce Clark then placed Marshall on three years' probation, ordered her to complete 30 days of work release supervised by the jail and 240 hours of community service.

Marshall, who starred on "Growing Pains" from 1985 to 1992, was behind the wheel of a sport utility vehicle on Sept. 3, 2004, when it went off a highway in Moorpark and rolled down an embankment.

Marshall and her 4-month-old son weren't hurt, but her husband, Roby Marshall, and the couple's 5- and 7-year-old sons were injured.

Since the crash, Marshall has spoken to high school and college audiences about the hazards of driving while drunk.

Outside court, Marshall said she wanted to let students know "every decision you make you have to be responsible for."

"It's been, for me, very healing," she added.

[TexasStooge]

R&B singer pleads not guily of assaulting police during traffic stop

CLEVELAND, Ohio (AP) — Gerald Levert has pleaded innocent to felony charges of assaulting a Cleveland police officer and obstructing police business.

The 38-year-old R&B singer was indicted by a grand jury earlier this month on charges stemming from a confrontation with police during a Feb. 25 traffic stop.

Levert was arraigned Tuesday in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.

Police said Levert and a passenger in his car intervened when authorities stopped a friend of Levert's for speeding.

The singer's lawyer, Ed Wade, said Levert is eager to clear his name.

"He's not guilty of these charges," Wade said.

Levert is the son of Eddie Levert, a founding member of The O'Jays, a longtime R&B group. Gerald Levert became lead singer of the trio Levert in 1985. He began his solo recording career in 1991.

[TexasStooge]

Paula Abdul pleads no contest to hit-and-run, is fined

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (AP) — "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul was fined and placed on probation Thursday after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor charge of hit-and-run driving.

The charge stemmed from an accident last December in which her car clipped another vehicle on a San Fernando Valley freeway.

Abdul wasn't in court as her lawyer entered the plea, city attorney's office spokesman Frank Mateljan said.

Superior Court Commissioner Patricia Schwartz sentenced Abdul to 24 months of informal probation. She also was ordered to pay about $900 in fines and penalties and to reimburse the other motorist $775 for the damage, Mateljan said.

The charge carried a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

"Unbeknownst to Paula, there was some minor contact between the tire of her car and another vehicle on the roadway," said a statement from her lawyer, Neil E. Meyer. "Paula immediately took full responsibility."

Authorities said Abdul was driving Dec. 20 on a highway in Encino, about 15 miles northwest of downtown, when she changed lanes and struck another vehicle, causing minor damage.

The driver and passenger snapped a photo with a cell phone camera and wrote down the license plate number of the car, which was traced to Abdul, Mateljan said.

Abdul is one of three judges on "American Idol," Fox's top-rated TV talent show.

[TexasStooge]

Actor Tom Sizemore sentenced to jail, treatment in probation and drug cases

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (AP) — Actor Tom Sizemore was sentenced Thursday to 17 months in jail and four months in a drug treatment facility for repeatedly failing drug tests while on probation.

Later in the day, he was sentenced in a separate felony methamphetamine case to additional inpatient drug treatment. Sizemore, 43, was allowed to remain free while he appeals a domestic violence conviction.

Sizemore failed seven drug tests, admitted methamphetamine use twice and failed to show up for further testing while on probation for a 2003 domestic violence conviction involving his ex-girlfriend, former Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss, a prosecutor has said.

Sizemore sobbed, gestured and begged for another chance as he delivered a rambling speech before being handed the first sentence Thursday by Superior Court Judge Antonio Barreto Jr.

He pleaded with the judge for leniency, saying he had broken his parents' hearts and felt like a 12-year-old child. Sizemore also said he was "engaged in a struggle right now to regain the better part of who I am. ... I never thought I had this disease."

"I assure your honor that I'm not acting now. I'm not acting, I'm begging, I'm beseeching you. I can't imagine my future without performing."

Outside court, he gave a high five and directed an obscene gesture at the press.

Sizemore, best known for his roles in "Saving Private Ryan" (1998) and "Black Hawk Down" (2001), was back in court later Thursday for sentencing on the felony conviction for methamphetamine possession.

Judge Paula Adele Mabrey ruled that he was eligible for a drug treatment program and ordered him to submit proof that he was enrolled by April 14.