Post by BoyBeater on Jul 12, 2005 11:09:44 GMT -5
From Sohh.com
In Lil' Kim's sentencing yesterday, a judge showed leniency after comparing The Queen Bee to domestic entrepreneur Martha Stewart. The rap star apologized and finally admitted to lying to a grand jury.
"Do you think I could justify a sentence seven times that of another entertainer who happens to be older and whiter and whose following is richer?" Manhattan Federal Judge Gerald Lynch said in court in reference to Stewart's 10-month sentence.
Last year, Stewart was sentenced to five months in jail and five months of home confinement after a judge found her guilty of lying about a stock trade. Kimberly "Lil Kim" Jones lied to protect longtime friends Suif Jackson and Damion Butler, who took part in a 2001 shootout in front of New York radio station Hot 97. Lynch said Kim's deception was graver than what Martha Stewart did.
"Lying to a grand jury about a shooting is more serious than lying about money, no matter how much money," Lynch said.
Moments before sentencing the raunchy rapper Lynch added, "Someone killed him [The Notorious B.I.G.] and it's because people do what you did that we still don't know who killed him."
On the other hand, Lynch said Kim deserved credit for being "heartfelt" rather than living up to her bad reputation. Kim has the chance to get out early if she earns time off for good behavior. If the rapper had received a firm one-year sentence, the full term would have had to be served under federal sentencing laws. Prosecutors were seeking a 33-to-41 month sentence. Kim's lawyer Paul Shechtman stated that a longer sentence could have destroyed the Bella Mafia's career.
"I'm a God-fearing, good person," Kim told the judge at her sentence hearing. "At the time, I thought it was the right thing to do, but I now know that it was wrong."
She also added that she put her best friend and co-defendant, Monique Dopwell, in a tight situation by lying. Dopwell was also found guilty of perjury.
Kim has been ordered to turn herself in September 19, 2005. Queen Bee will have a little over a month to promote her fourth solo album, The Naked Truth set to hit stores August 2.
In Lil' Kim's sentencing yesterday, a judge showed leniency after comparing The Queen Bee to domestic entrepreneur Martha Stewart. The rap star apologized and finally admitted to lying to a grand jury.
"Do you think I could justify a sentence seven times that of another entertainer who happens to be older and whiter and whose following is richer?" Manhattan Federal Judge Gerald Lynch said in court in reference to Stewart's 10-month sentence.
Last year, Stewart was sentenced to five months in jail and five months of home confinement after a judge found her guilty of lying about a stock trade. Kimberly "Lil Kim" Jones lied to protect longtime friends Suif Jackson and Damion Butler, who took part in a 2001 shootout in front of New York radio station Hot 97. Lynch said Kim's deception was graver than what Martha Stewart did.
"Lying to a grand jury about a shooting is more serious than lying about money, no matter how much money," Lynch said.
Moments before sentencing the raunchy rapper Lynch added, "Someone killed him [The Notorious B.I.G.] and it's because people do what you did that we still don't know who killed him."
On the other hand, Lynch said Kim deserved credit for being "heartfelt" rather than living up to her bad reputation. Kim has the chance to get out early if she earns time off for good behavior. If the rapper had received a firm one-year sentence, the full term would have had to be served under federal sentencing laws. Prosecutors were seeking a 33-to-41 month sentence. Kim's lawyer Paul Shechtman stated that a longer sentence could have destroyed the Bella Mafia's career.
"I'm a God-fearing, good person," Kim told the judge at her sentence hearing. "At the time, I thought it was the right thing to do, but I now know that it was wrong."
She also added that she put her best friend and co-defendant, Monique Dopwell, in a tight situation by lying. Dopwell was also found guilty of perjury.
Kim has been ordered to turn herself in September 19, 2005. Queen Bee will have a little over a month to promote her fourth solo album, The Naked Truth set to hit stores August 2.
