Shelly
07-06-2005, 03:25 PM
Lil' Kim Headed to Big House
by Josh Grossberg
Jul 6, 2005, 11:30 AM PT
back to story
http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,16880,00.html?eol.tkr
A huge fib is going to cost Lil' Kim a little time in the big house.
The pint-sized rapper, whose real name is Kimberly Jones, was sentenced Wednesday to one year and one day in prison and fined $50,000 for her March conviction of lying to a federal grand jury about a 2001 shootout involving members of her entourage outside a New York City radio station.
She will become the first marquee female rapper to serve a prison sentence.
Kim was found guilty Mar. 5 of four counts in all--three counts of perjury and one charge of conspiracy--and had faced a whopping 20 years behind bars. As a first-time offender, the Grammy-winning "Lady Marmalade" performer wound up with the lesser sentence. Prosecutors had asked U.S. District Judge Gerard Lynch to send Kim up the river for nearly three years.
Lynch said he didn't believe Kim, as an African-American celebrity, should have to serve a substantially longer sentence than Martha Stewart, who spent five months in prison and remains under house arrest for a similar offense.
The rapper, who turns 30 next week, briefly addressed the court before her sentence was read. Choking back tears, she admitted to lying to the grand jury and on the stand at her trial. "At the time I thought it was the right thing to do but I now know it was wrong," she said.
"I have worked hard my entire life for everything I have, everything I have accomplished," Lil' Kim said. "I ask you to consider my entire life's work and not just the days in the grand jury and on the witness stand in the courtroom. I'm a God-fearing, good person."
She will report to prion by Sept. 19. Her lawyers have requested she serve her time at a minimum-security federal lockup in Danbury, Connecticut, so she can be near her mother. Kim declined to comment as she left the courthouse surrounded by bodyguards and cheered by fans.
Known for her raunchy raps and low-cut tops, the Queen Bee's trouble dates back to Feb. 25, 2001, when members of her Junior M.A.F.I.A. crew first traded insults, then gunshots with rival hip-hopsters Capone-N-Noreaga and their cohorts outside of New York's Hot 97. More than 30 rounds were fired and one man took a bullet in the back and was seriously injured. (Hot 97 made news earlier this year for an alleged rap-related shooting involving members of 50 Cent and the Game's posses.)
Prosecutors claimed Lil' Kim told some "preposterous lies" about what went down to protect her posse--the most egregious being that she had no relationship with one of the triggermen, Suif "Gutta" Jackson, a longtime friend and bodyguard, and that another, manager Damion Butler, wasn't present at the time of the shooting.
However videotape of the incident contradicted her testimony, showing her standing beside Butler when the gunfire erupted. The two men, who both pleaded guilty to weapons charges, turned state's evidence and testified for the prosecution.
The trial also featured testimony from two of Kim's Junior M.A.F.I.A. mates, Antoine "Banger" Spain and James "Lil Cease" Lloyd, who cooperated in exchange for a reduction of charges in unrelated criminal cases. They told jurors that the altercation came over the Capone-N-Noreaga track "Bang, Bang," which featured Foxy Brown dissing Kim. Capone was also on the witness list.
Kim's attorney, Mel Sachs, in turn portrayed the diminutive diva as the victim of a government witch hunt against gangsta rappers.
In a big to gain the jury's sympathy, Jones took the stand in her own defense, stressing her rags-to-riches story and accusing Jackson, Butler, Spain and Lloyd of trying to get back at her after a falling out. She also claimed prosecutors "badgered" her at the time she made her discredited statements.
But the five-woman, seven-man jury didn't buy it, and the panel returned the guilty verdicts after just two days of deliberations. The jurors did acquit the rapper of the most serious charge of obstruction of justice.
In the days after her conviction, Kim launched an email campaign asking fans to write the judge and request leniency, but not to criticize the justice system.
Meanwhile, according to New York's Newsday, Kim's camp asked for a sentencing delay to give her time to clean up a nasty tax mess that surfaced during the trial. Kim failed to pay taxes on her $750,000 income; she testified that she spent $450,000 in jewelry, but told the IRS the bling-bling was worth only about $49,000.
"Ms. Jones is trying very hard to satisfy her outstanding tax obligations, either by selling property or borrowing and using the property as collateral," another Jones' attorney, Paul Schechtman, wrote in a brief filed with the court on June 27.
Lynch denied the request without comment, but Sachs told Newsday that he hoped the back taxes would be paid off before the sentencing.
In the weeks leading up to Wednesday's court date, the Notorious B.I.G. protégé tried to stay positive and focused on recording her latest album, which will likely hit stores while she's behind bars.
Kim also denied reports that she was planning to sell documentary footage of her life for a potential reality series.
New York-based production company Red Moxie claimed it was commissioned by Kim to document her trial, but did not control the legal rights to sell the tapes. The company had hoped to strike its own deal with a cable network once Kim's fate was revealed.
But Kim's entertainment lawyer, L. Londell McMillan, told the New York Daily News that his client had more important things to worry about.
"In preparation for the release of her forthcoming album and in hopes that she would be acquitted of all charges brought against her at the time, Lil' Kim had her life documented," McMillain told the paper.
"However, in light of her perjury conviction, yet acquittal of obstruction of justice, Lil' Kim is currently in a state of remorse, taking responsibility for the jury verdict and instructions by the judge. She has no interest at this time to exploit any such footage, but instead, would rather focus on finishing up the recording of her new album and spending time with her loved ones."
As if her legal team doesn't have enough to worry about, Lil' Kim is also the target of a lawsuit brought by two singer-songwriters who claim Lil' Kim failed to pay them royalties for cowriting and contributing vocals to her platinum-selling 2003 album, La Bella Mafia. They are seeking $100,000 in damages.
by Josh Grossberg
Jul 6, 2005, 11:30 AM PT
back to story
http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,16880,00.html?eol.tkr
A huge fib is going to cost Lil' Kim a little time in the big house.
The pint-sized rapper, whose real name is Kimberly Jones, was sentenced Wednesday to one year and one day in prison and fined $50,000 for her March conviction of lying to a federal grand jury about a 2001 shootout involving members of her entourage outside a New York City radio station.
She will become the first marquee female rapper to serve a prison sentence.
Kim was found guilty Mar. 5 of four counts in all--three counts of perjury and one charge of conspiracy--and had faced a whopping 20 years behind bars. As a first-time offender, the Grammy-winning "Lady Marmalade" performer wound up with the lesser sentence. Prosecutors had asked U.S. District Judge Gerard Lynch to send Kim up the river for nearly three years.
Lynch said he didn't believe Kim, as an African-American celebrity, should have to serve a substantially longer sentence than Martha Stewart, who spent five months in prison and remains under house arrest for a similar offense.
The rapper, who turns 30 next week, briefly addressed the court before her sentence was read. Choking back tears, she admitted to lying to the grand jury and on the stand at her trial. "At the time I thought it was the right thing to do but I now know it was wrong," she said.
"I have worked hard my entire life for everything I have, everything I have accomplished," Lil' Kim said. "I ask you to consider my entire life's work and not just the days in the grand jury and on the witness stand in the courtroom. I'm a God-fearing, good person."
She will report to prion by Sept. 19. Her lawyers have requested she serve her time at a minimum-security federal lockup in Danbury, Connecticut, so she can be near her mother. Kim declined to comment as she left the courthouse surrounded by bodyguards and cheered by fans.
Known for her raunchy raps and low-cut tops, the Queen Bee's trouble dates back to Feb. 25, 2001, when members of her Junior M.A.F.I.A. crew first traded insults, then gunshots with rival hip-hopsters Capone-N-Noreaga and their cohorts outside of New York's Hot 97. More than 30 rounds were fired and one man took a bullet in the back and was seriously injured. (Hot 97 made news earlier this year for an alleged rap-related shooting involving members of 50 Cent and the Game's posses.)
Prosecutors claimed Lil' Kim told some "preposterous lies" about what went down to protect her posse--the most egregious being that she had no relationship with one of the triggermen, Suif "Gutta" Jackson, a longtime friend and bodyguard, and that another, manager Damion Butler, wasn't present at the time of the shooting.
However videotape of the incident contradicted her testimony, showing her standing beside Butler when the gunfire erupted. The two men, who both pleaded guilty to weapons charges, turned state's evidence and testified for the prosecution.
The trial also featured testimony from two of Kim's Junior M.A.F.I.A. mates, Antoine "Banger" Spain and James "Lil Cease" Lloyd, who cooperated in exchange for a reduction of charges in unrelated criminal cases. They told jurors that the altercation came over the Capone-N-Noreaga track "Bang, Bang," which featured Foxy Brown dissing Kim. Capone was also on the witness list.
Kim's attorney, Mel Sachs, in turn portrayed the diminutive diva as the victim of a government witch hunt against gangsta rappers.
In a big to gain the jury's sympathy, Jones took the stand in her own defense, stressing her rags-to-riches story and accusing Jackson, Butler, Spain and Lloyd of trying to get back at her after a falling out. She also claimed prosecutors "badgered" her at the time she made her discredited statements.
But the five-woman, seven-man jury didn't buy it, and the panel returned the guilty verdicts after just two days of deliberations. The jurors did acquit the rapper of the most serious charge of obstruction of justice.
In the days after her conviction, Kim launched an email campaign asking fans to write the judge and request leniency, but not to criticize the justice system.
Meanwhile, according to New York's Newsday, Kim's camp asked for a sentencing delay to give her time to clean up a nasty tax mess that surfaced during the trial. Kim failed to pay taxes on her $750,000 income; she testified that she spent $450,000 in jewelry, but told the IRS the bling-bling was worth only about $49,000.
"Ms. Jones is trying very hard to satisfy her outstanding tax obligations, either by selling property or borrowing and using the property as collateral," another Jones' attorney, Paul Schechtman, wrote in a brief filed with the court on June 27.
Lynch denied the request without comment, but Sachs told Newsday that he hoped the back taxes would be paid off before the sentencing.
In the weeks leading up to Wednesday's court date, the Notorious B.I.G. protégé tried to stay positive and focused on recording her latest album, which will likely hit stores while she's behind bars.
Kim also denied reports that she was planning to sell documentary footage of her life for a potential reality series.
New York-based production company Red Moxie claimed it was commissioned by Kim to document her trial, but did not control the legal rights to sell the tapes. The company had hoped to strike its own deal with a cable network once Kim's fate was revealed.
But Kim's entertainment lawyer, L. Londell McMillan, told the New York Daily News that his client had more important things to worry about.
"In preparation for the release of her forthcoming album and in hopes that she would be acquitted of all charges brought against her at the time, Lil' Kim had her life documented," McMillain told the paper.
"However, in light of her perjury conviction, yet acquittal of obstruction of justice, Lil' Kim is currently in a state of remorse, taking responsibility for the jury verdict and instructions by the judge. She has no interest at this time to exploit any such footage, but instead, would rather focus on finishing up the recording of her new album and spending time with her loved ones."
As if her legal team doesn't have enough to worry about, Lil' Kim is also the target of a lawsuit brought by two singer-songwriters who claim Lil' Kim failed to pay them royalties for cowriting and contributing vocals to her platinum-selling 2003 album, La Bella Mafia. They are seeking $100,000 in damages.