Cardi B has accepted a plea deal that will allow her to avoid any prison time for her role in a New York strip club brawl.
The rapper, whose real name is Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, appeared in court on Thursday and agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor charges of third-degree assault and reckless endangerment.
The deal comes with a sentence of 15 days of community service, rather than the prison time she had faced under the original felony charges, which stem from a vicious attack on two female bartenders at a strip club in 2018.
The surprise plea deal came just a day before jury selection in Cardi B’s trial was set to begin, and will allow the Grammy-winning star to avoid potentially embarrassing court testimony.
Cardi B arrived in Queens Supreme Court to plead out wearing a form-fitting white dress and white heels. ‘I’m feeling like I look good,’ she told reporters as she left the courthouse.
Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, known professionally as Cardi B, arrives at Queens Supreme Court on Thursday to accept a plea deal
Cardi B arrived in Queens Supreme Court to accept the surprise plea deal wearing a form-fitting white dress and white heels
The rapper, whose real name is Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, appeared in court on Thursday and agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor charges of third-degree assault and reckless endangerment
The deal comes with a sentence of 15 days of community service, rather than the prison time she had faced under the original felony charges, which stem from a vicious attack on two female bartenders at a strip club in 2018
The plea deal also stipulates that Cardi B supply the court with a DNA sample, and prohibits her from contacting the victims in the case for three years.
In a statement following the hearing, she said: ‘Part of growing up and maturing is being accountable for your actions.’
‘As a mother, it’s a practice that I am trying to instill in my children, but the example starts with me,’ she added.
‘I’ve made some bad decisions in my past that I am not afraid to face and own up to. These moments don’t define me and they are not reflective of who I am now,’ said Cardi B.
‘I’m looking forward to moving past this situation with my family and friends and getting back to the things I love the most—the music and my fans.’
olice say Cardi B and her entourage argued with bartenders at Angels Strip Club in 2018, and that she ordered an attack
Cardi B raises her right hand as she is sworn in as she pleads guilty today and was sentenced to 15 days of community service
In a statement following the hearing, she said: ‘Part of growing up and maturing is being accountable for your actions.’
Cardi B is seen with her attorneys as she pleaded guilty today in Queens criminal court
Police say Cardi B and her entourage argued with a bartender at Angels Strip Club in 2018.
She allegedly told eight people, including Tawana Jackson-Morel and Jeffrey Bush, to assault sisters Baddie Gi and Jade.
The sisters were working as bartenders at the strip club, and Cardi B allegedly believed Jade was having an affair with her husband, Offset.
Cops say a fight broke out in which chairs, bottles and hookah pipes were thrown, causing minor injuries to one of the two women and another employee.
The performer had previously denied harming anyone.
Cardi initially faced a misdemeanor charge of reckless endangerment and assault for the August 2018 incident at the Angel’s Strip Club (above) in Queens
Cardi B and Offset secretly married in September 2017, and remain together after several separations and reconciliations
Police say Cardi B and her entourage argued with a bartender at Angels Strip Club in 2018, and a fight broke out
Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, known professionally as Cardi B, arrives at Queens Supreme Court
US rapper and songwriter Cardi B departs Queens County Criminal Court in New York on Thursday
Cardi B appeared in court for a hearing regarding charges of assaulting two strip club bartenders
Cardi B had originally only been charged with misdemeanor assault and harassment.
But the charges escalated to felonies after prosecutors presented the case to a grand jury when she rejected a plea deal that would have given her a conditional discharge.
The rapper and Offset secretly married in September 2017, and remain together after several separations and reconciliations. They share two children together.
In her teens, Cardi B herself worked as a dancer at a strip club, and experience she has described as a positive influence on her life.
‘It really saved me from a lot of things. When I started stripping I went back to school,’ she said in a 2015 interview.