Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. Charged with Harassment

The boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been charged with felony counts of coercion, robbery, grand larceny, misdemeanor battery, and three counts of harassment after an incident with his child’s mother in Las Vegas. The woman, named Josie Harris, claims that Mayweather beat her, threatened to kill her, and stole her cell phone during an incident that happened on September 9th. If Mayweather is convicted of all charges, he could face 28 years imprisoned.

Reggae Star Buju Banton Facing Drug Charges

The Jamaican reggae star Buju Banton is facing a drug charge in Florida after being arrested on the charge of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine. His real name is Mark Anthony Myrie and he has been in U.S. Federal custody in Miami since Thursday.

Michael Jackson's Death Ruled Homicide

The Los Angeles County coroner has ruled the late Michael Jackson's death as a homicide. This will make it more likely that the doctor who was Jackson's friend and who was with him died will have criminal charges filed against him. Forensic tests found that the anesthetic propofol and at least two other sedatives in Jackson's system caused his death. Even though his death is ruled as a homicide, that means that his death was caused by another person but that doesn't have to mean that a crime was committed.

Charges Dropped Against Comedian Katt Williams

It is reported that the gun charges against the comedian Katt Williams have been dropped because prosecutors say that they "can't prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt." Williams was arrested this past November after police pulled over a Cadillac Escalade SUV and a Dodge minibus that belonged to him and found a gun in each of the vehicles. Prosecutors found that the guns were legally registered in other states to two men who with with Williams.

Marion "Suge" Knight Pleads Guilty to Misdemeanor Battery

On Tuesday, Marion "Suge Knight" pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery for beating his girlfriend in a Las Vegas parking lot last year. He entered his plea in a Las Vegas Justice Court in a deal that dismissed two felony drug charges and one felony coercion charge. He was also ordered to receive counseling and a received a $340 fine. He is scheduled to go back to court in August for a status check.

Singer Chris Brown Arrested For Assault

On Sunday, the singer Chris Brown was arrested on accusations of assault after he was accused of physically assaulting the singer Rihanna. They supposedly had an argument in a Los Angeles neighborhood that evolved into a fight. Both Rihanna and Brown pulled out of the Grammys hours before it was telecasted this past Sunday. Brown has also dropped a planned appearance at the upcoming NBA All-Star Game that is scheduled for this weekend in Phoenix. The company Wrigley has decided to suspend all of the ad and marketing campaigns that he is involved with.

Rapper DMX Sentenced to Jail Time

On Friday, the rapper DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, was sentenced to serve 90 days in jail for his convictions on theft, drug-possession, and animal-cruelty charges. He was also placed on at least 18 months supervised probation by the Maricopa County Superior Court Commissioner Phemonia Miller.

On December 30th, Simmons pleaded guilty to three felony counts, which were theft, possession or use of marijuana, and the possession or use of narcotic drugs. He also had a misdemeanor count of animal cruelty. He is not being given credit for time served and is not expected to get out of jail until the end of April.

Singer R. Kelly Finalizes Divorce

The singer R. Kelly is now officially divorced from his wife of 11 years, named Andrea Lee. They had filed for divorce in 2006 and Lee is reported to have received more than $50 million in the divorce settlement. They will share joint custody of their three children. This is after Kelly was acquitted of child porn charges this past summer.

Charges Dropped Against Suge Knight

On Friday, a judge dropped the drug and battery charges filed against Marion "Suge" Knight, the co-founder of Death Row Records. The prosecution had discovery problems and witness problems. The district attorney's office has filed a notice showing that it might revive the charges by seeking a grand jury indictment. Knight had recently been charged with two counts of felony drug possession and one count of misdemeanor battery in the beating of a woman in August after police caught him hitting his girlfriend while holding a knife in a parking lot near the Las Vegas Strip. Police found the drugs Ecstasy and hydrocodone in his possession. The girlfriend was not stabbed but she was treated at a hospital for the injuries.

Don Cornelius Fights Battery Charges

Don Cornelius, the former host of the show "Soul Train", has pleaded not guilty in court to the charges against him that come from a domestic dispute case against his wife in October. He is currently facing three counts of spousal battery, one count of dissuading a witness from making a police report, and one count of assault with a deadly weapon. His wife has filed two restraining orders against him since the incident.

"Suge" Knight Facing Criminal Charges

Marion "Suge" Knight, the co-founder of Death Row Records, is facing criminal charges in Las Vegas that come from an incident where he had beaten his girlfriend near a busy thoroughfare in August. Police had arrested him after they saw him beating the woman while brandishing a knife in a parking lot near the Las Vegas Strip. He also had Ecstasy and hydrocodone in his possession when he was arrested. He was released from custody after posting $19,000 bail.

Knight is being charged with two counts of felony drug possession and one count of misdemeanor battery. He could face mandatory probation and up to four years in a Nevada state prison on each of the drug charges. He could also be sentenced to up to six months in jail on the battery charge.

Comedian Katt Williams Arrested

The comedian Katt Williams was arrested on weapons charges in midtown Manhattan after police pulled him over for driving without license plates. Police found a handgun in his car after he was stopped. He was released on bail Thursday and was able to make it for his show at Carnegie Hall.

Rapper Beenie Man Cleared in Tax Evasion Charges

The rapper and singer Beenie Man has been cleared of tax-evasion charges because the government hadn't informed him of his legal rights when auditors issued their assessment last year. He had owed nearly $1 million in overdue taxes but a Jamaican judge threw out the case on Tuesday.

Rapper Kanye West Not Charged in Airport Incident

Prosecutors have decided not to file felony charges against the rapper Kanye West and his manager for an incident in which the camera of a paparazzi was broken. Prosecutors referred the case to the city attorneys and they will decide if West will be charged with a misdemeanor.

West was arrested on September 11th at Los Angeles International Airport on suspicion of vandalism after he was caught on video struggling with a paparazzi and then breaking his camera on the floor. His manager was also arrested on suspicion of breaking the camera and one that belonged to a TMZ videographer.

Singer Kelis Acquitted of Charges

Kelis, a singer and wife of rapper Nas, has been acquitted of all charges against her in an incident that happened in Miami where she was accused of disrupting a police operation by going towards the officers screaming racial profanities at them. The incident started when authorities were talking to men in March of 2007 in the South Beach nightclub district and they claim that Kelis rushed towards them and said that one of the men was her husband. She was charged with disorderly conduct while resisting arrest without violence. A jury acquitted her of the charges on Thursday.

Akon Goes to Trial in Fan Tossing Case

The singer Akon will go to trial on criminal charges that he tossed a fan offstage at a concert last summer. He is being accused tossing a teenager off of a stage during a concert in June of 2007 at a minor league baseball stadium near Poughkeepsie. Another woman claimed that she suffered a concussion when the tossed boy landed on her.

Akon is due back in court on December 1st. In December, he pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of endangering the welfare of a minor and second-degree harassment.

Rapper DMX Pleads Guilty

On Wednesday, the rapper DMX has pleaded guilty to attempted marijuana and cocaine possession and was sentenced to time served. He is now awaiting extradition to face more charges in Arizona. He is still in custody while waiting for Arizona authorities to pick him up on drug and animal cruelty charges there.

DMX decided to plead guilty after he was denied bail earlier this week due to an outstanding Arizona warrant. If he hadn’t pleaded guilty, then he would have had to stay in jail in Miami until an October trial date.

Rapper DMX Indicted on Charges

The rapper DMX has been indicted on felony charges by a grand jury in Arizona for using a false name to avoid paying for a hospital bill. He has been charged with one count of theft and one count of taking someone else's identity. He went to Scottsdale's Mayo Clinic in April using the name “Troy Jones” to receive medical care even though his real name is Earl Simmons and didn't have any intentions on paying the bill.

Kid Rock Sentenced to Probation

On Monday, Kid Rock was sentence to serving a year of probation and was fined $1,000 for his part in a fight at an Atlanta Waffle House this past fall. He was also sentenced to six hours of anger management counseling and 80 hours of community service. He pleaded no contest to one count of simple battery and four counts of battery were dropped.

Five members of his entourage were also arrested because of the fight. Two of them pleaded no contest and also received probation and community service. Charges were dropped against the other three people since the court decided that they weren't involved in the altercation after viewing the videotape.

NBA Star Dennis Rodman Pleads No Contest to Spousal Battery

The former NBA basketball player Dennis Rodman has decided to plead no contest to a misdemeanor charge of spousal battery in a Superior Court appearance on Tuesday. There were two other counts that were dismissed under a plea deal. He was arrested at a Los Angeles hotel in April after a woman, named Gina Peterson, stated that he struck her during an altercation.

Rodman was sentenced to 45 days of road cleanup work, a year of domestic violence counseling, and three years on probation. He was also warned not to intimidate or use physical force against Peterson.