50 Cent will avoid jail time for allegedly trampling two women and punching a third during a concert last year, as long as he stays drug free and doesn’t commit any other crimes for two years.
If the entertainer, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, meets the conditions set by Judge Robert Kumor on Friday, the assault and battery charges will be dropped. If he doesn’t, he could spend time in jail.
Jackson, 29, who lives in Farmington, Conn., entered a plea to facts sufficient for a guilty finding at a hearing in Springfield District Court. He had been charged with three counts of assault and battery.
During a surprise concert at Springfield’s Hippodrome club last May, someone in the crowd sprayed 50 Cent with water. He removed his gold chain, handed it to someone, and jumped off the stage into the crowd, witnesses said. The rapper’s bodyguards also jumped in.
Two women said Jackson kicked and trampled them. Another, 25-year-old Donna Dejesus, said Jackson punched her in the face.
“He attacked women,” Dejesus said in court. “We were just there to see a concert. What did I do to get punched in the face? Nothing.”
Taneka Nesbitt, 27, said she needed knee surgery after Jackson pushed her to the floor and walked over her back.
“For him not to be punished would say we don’t matter,” Nesbitt said. “It’s not fair that I had to go through knee surgery.”
Jackson wore a gray, double-breasted suit and silver tie. He didn’t speak and left court through a back door, disappointing a crowd of fans who staked out the courthouse for a glimpse of the rap star.
“We came down to support him, and he just ignored everyone here,” said 20-year-old Tawyana Williams, of Springfield.
Prosecutor Donna Donato wanted Jackson, who was convicted of drug charges 10 years ago in New York City and incarcerated for eight months, to serve at least a year in prison.
But defense attorney Steven Leary said his client is a “law abiding citizen” who turned his life around after his drug troubles.
“I don’t see this as a case that deserves any jail time,” Leary said.
Later, in a prepared statement, Benjamin Brafman, another of Jackson’s attorneys, said the settlement frees him to “vigorously defend against any civil claims when and if they are filed.”
The judge, who said he was unfamiliar with 50 Cent’s music, told the rapper he has a responsibility to be a positive role model for his 9-year-old son and his fans.
“You’re a cross-cultural entertainer,” Kumor said. “You have an obligation to people in society.”
Jackson’s son lives with the boy’s mother in Pennsylvania.
The judge ordered Jackson to undergo random drug testing for two years. Kumor also ordered him to get anger management treatment and banned him from carrying a gun in Massachusetts. He must pay the three women for their out-of-pocket medical expenses and produce an anti-violence public service announcement.
Credit: AP