Snoop gets community service

US rapper Snoop Dogg will pick up rubbish and perform other park maintenance duties for carrying an illegal weapon in an airport last year, authorities in California have said.

The artist, whose real name is Cordozar Calvin Broadus Jr, will do “everything from raking leaves to painting benches” in order to meet the 160 hours of community service he was ordered to perform, said his attorney, Donald Etra.

“He’s glad to make a contribution to Orange County,” the attorney said.

Broadus chose the Orange County park site from a list of probation-approved community service sites and will be supervised by a park ranger, county prosecutor Andre Manssourian said.

A judge approved the park service. County officials declined to release the name of the park, citing concerns that media and fans might interfere.

The 35-year-old rapper pleaded guilty last month to felony possession of a dangerous weapon.

He was arrested on September 27, 2006, after the discovery of a collapsible baton in his computer bag at John Wayne Airport in Orange County.

Broadus said the baton was a prop for a video he was filming in New York.

The felony conviction will be reduced to a misdemeanour if the rapper does not break the law for a year.

Employee of 50 Cent faces assault, gun charges

HARTFORD, Conn. – An employee of 50 Cent was arrested on assault and gun charges after he allegedly pistol-whipped a nightclub promoter who refused to announce an after-party at the rapper’s Farmington mansion, police said.

Dwayne “Hove” McKenzie, 26, who police said lives at the mansion, allegedly assaulted the Hartford promoter last week and was found four days later with a 9 mm Glock and another handgun.

McKenzie lost his right to carry a gun last August, when police said he fired shots after he was robbed of a $100,000 necklace outside a Hartford nightclub.

His attorney, Gerald M. Klein, said he was in the process of trying to get McKenzie’s pistol permit back when he was arrested Sunday.

Klein said Tuesday that McKenzie had no criminal record.

READ MORE HERE

C-Murder to be re-tried on murder charge

NEW ORLEANS — The rapper sometimes known as C-Murder will be tried a second time on a second-degree murder charge in February.

Corey Miller’s Feb. 11 trial date was set during a telephone conference with prosecutors and defense attorneys, Judge Martha Sassone said in court Tuesday.

Miller, 36, is accused of shooting to death Steve Thomas, 16, at a Harvey nightclub on Jan. 12, 2002. The teen had used a fake ID to get into the club to see the rapper, whom family members said Thomas idolized.

Although Miller changed nicknames from “C-Murder” to “C-Miller” after he was charged with murder, his byline for the novel Death Around the Corner is “Corey Miller a.k.a. C-Murder”.

Sassone said she had approved trips which Miller made in July to New York and last week to Mississippi, although her approval was not documented in the clerk of court’s electronic database until Monday.

Clerk of Court Jon Gegenheimer will file an affidavit to explain why the records were not posted sooner on the database, called JeffNet. “The court is not responsible for the filing and imaging of the documents,” Sassone said.

READ MORE HERE

Foxy Brown in court for ‘mobile phone assault’

Foxy Brown was singing a different tune when she showed up in court four days after refusing to appear to face assault charges.

The 28-year-old rapper, who is serving a year at Rikers Island prison for violating probation, arrived at Brooklyn State Supreme Court wearing casual street clothing.

She pleaded not guilty to charges that she threw a mobile phone at a neighbour who complained about the volume of her car radio.

The plea was entered by her lawyer, John Sampson, the district attorney’s office said.

Last Friday, Brown twice refused to appear in court for her arraignment.

Prosecutors rescheduled her appearance for yesterday, warning that if she refused to show up, the court would issue an order allowing correction officers to put her in handcuffs and force her onto a bus.

READ MORE HERE

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Facing Arrest Following Fracas At NYC Party?

NEW YORK, NY (October 16, 2007) – Authorities are looking to arrest rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs over a bust up in New York City this past weekend, according to a source close to law enforcement.Combs is expected to be arrested and charged with assault over the alleged incident which occurred on Saturday, October 13, the source told Access Hollywood. The source said Diddy will be arrested and released on his own recognizance, meaning the hip-hop superstar won’t have to spend time in jail or be arraigned right away.

“He’ll be charged with third degree assault, and possibly other misdemeanor charges as well,” the source told Access. “He’ll likely get a desk appearance ticket with a future court date rather than being taken into immediate custody, spending the night in jail and being arraigned right away.”

Diddy’s lawyer Benjamin Brafman however, told Access that the star will not be booked today.

“What is being reported in the media is inaccurate. Mr. Combs is not going to be arrested today. We are hopeful that this matter will be resolved without the filing of any criminal charges as this was a disagreement among acquaintances, not a criminal assault,” his statement read.

READ MORE HERE

Top Chinese businessman arrested

The Chinese government owns 75% of Sinopec’s shares

The former head of Chinese oil firm Sinopec, who stepped down unexpectedly in June, has been arrested. Officials confirmed that Chen Tonghai had been detained for questioning, but did not explain why.

Following Mr Chen’s decision to quit for “personal reasons”, state media reported that he was being investigated for “financial problems”.

Corruption is a major issue in China, with President Hu Jintao identifying personal malpractice as a huge problem.

READ MORE HERE

2 Arrested in NYC stole identites, bought homes

NEW YORK – Hundreds of homes were purchased under false pretenses by two mortgage company employees, and now dozens of victims face potential financial ruin because their identities were stolen, police said.

One victim, a waiter who makes $30,000 a year, learned he owned three homes and owed $1.3 million in mortgages for which he never applied, police told Newsday in Tuesday editions.

Police arrested two employees of a Queens mortgage company on Monday for their role in what they described as a multimillion-dollar mortgage scam.

READ MORE HERE

Suspect In Toddler Sex Abuse Case Arrested In Nevada

Chester Stiles, the man accused of videotaping himself assaulting a 3-year-old girl, was arrested Monday night outside Las Vegas during a routine traffic stop.

Stiles, his hair now long and unruly, was driving a white Buick Century when police officers pulled him over in Henderson, Nev., for driving without a license plate.

Stiles presented a fake California driver’s license, and officers immediately questioned his identity.

“He basically told us he wanted to stop running,” said Mike Dye, a spokesman for the Henderson Police Department. “He said, ‘I’m Chester Stiles, the guy you’re looking for.’”

The nationwide manhunt for 37-year-old Stiles began three weeks ago when police released a disturbing videotape showing a 3-year-old girl being abused in unspeakable ways.

“Nothing that I’ve seen in my career has come anywhere close to what this girl has gone through,” Sheriff Tony DeMeo of the Nevada Sheriff’s Department said when the tape was released.

The identities of the victim and abuser remained a mystery, so investigators took an unprecedented step of releasing a photo of the child and her attacker. A flood of tips put authorities on the hunt for Stiles.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

Say Goodbye To T.I.

So, it looks like rapper T.I.’s career is most likely finished. On Saturday, October 14th, Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. [a.k.a. T.I. or T.I.P.] was arrested by agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms for illegal possession of machine guns. The 27-year old rapper, who won two Grammy awards in February, accepted the delivery of the guns and silencers.

Three guns were found in a vehicle, which the rapper was driving and the agents found additional six-guns in his home in College Park, Georgia. The ceased guns were not registered on the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.

T.I was just hours away from his appearance at the BET Networks awards ceremony in Atlanta. He was nominated for nine awards, more than any other artist in the ceremony.

I’m really not sure what to think here. I mean, why in the world these rappers can’t get their shit together once they become successful. It looks like he’s thrown his rap career in the garbage.