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Everybody dreams of becoming rich and famous. Though the downside of being in the spotlight could be living your life under a microscope, sometimes, being a celebrity can be useful! At least, that was the case for these celebrities accused of some serious crimes.
Some of these celebrities were cleared of the criminal charges sooner, however, some of them still have open investigations with no convictions so far –
1. Snoop Dogg:
Image Source: Wikimedia
Who is he?
Snoop Dogg aka Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr (also called Snoop Lion or Snoop Doggy) is a famous American rapper and songwriter. He began his rap career in the 1990s and has gone to become one of the richest rappers in the world with a net word of 150 million USD.
The Alleged Crime
In 1993, Snoop Dogg and his bodyguard McKinley Lee were initially accused of first-degree murder of a gang member Phillip Woldermariam. Snoop even appeared at the MTV Video Music Awards to proclaim his innocence.
The trial was filled with multiple inconsistencies as witnesses initially lied to the police. It was also discovered that the LA police department accidentally destroyed some evidence found on the scene. Despite the evidences, the jury declared Snoop and McKinley as not guilty, and they were acquitted in no time.
In 1994, snoop released a song with an 18-minute movie titled ‘Murder was the case’ where he played a gangster who is shot by his rivals. The song resulted brought him new-found fame with the album ‘Doggystyle’ selling over 4 million copies. In the end, this incident only resulted in making Snoop more popular as a rapper to the point where he is still actively working in the industry.
2. Salman Khan:
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Who is he?
Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan, widely known as Salman Khan, is a popular Indian actor, producer and television personality. The superstar is considered as the ‘bad boy of Bollywood’ due to the numerous publicized controversies and affairs that he is involved in. Despite this, he is also popular for his charitable acts with rumors stating that he gives away most of his earnings to multiple charities.
The Alleged Crime
In September 2002, the Bollywood superstar crashed into a bakery in Bandra killing one person while injuring four. After the investigation, Mumbai’s Sessions Court announced five years’ of imprisonment for Salman Khan, but he got out on a quick bail and appealed against the conviction in the Mumbai High Court.
The HC disregarded numerous witnesses and announced that Khan’s driver Ashok Singh was driving the vehicle. One of the biggest mysteries in this case was why Ashok took 13 years to announce that Khan wasn’t driving the car. In December 2015, Khan was acquitted of all the charges claiming there isn’t enough evidence to prove him guilty.
3. R. Kelly:
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Who is he?
R. Kelly (full name Robert Sylvester Kelly) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer who has been dubbed as the ‘King of R&B’. One of the most successful R&B singers of all time, his reputation has been tarnished by multiple allegations of sexual abuse and creating a sex cult. The severe allegations resulted in people boycotting his music.
The Alleged Crime
As of 2020, R. Kelly has pleaded not guilty to 13 sexual abuse charges. At the age of 27, Kelly secretly married his 15-year-old protégé Aaliyah in the year 1994. Though their marriage was annulled later, another singer accused Kelly of sexual misconduct when she was only 15. Soon after, Kelly was arrested on accounts of child molestation when the police found videos of him having sex with underage girls.
While multiple women came forward and accused him of abuse, Kelly was found not guilty, and he enjoyed a very successful music career. After the famous #MeToo and #MuteRKelly movements, a six-hour docu-series ‘Surviving R. Kelly’ was released on Lifetime in 2019. Following the public protests against Kelly, he was dropped from his label RCA (Sony Music).
4. Michael Jackson:
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Who is he?
Michael Joseph Jackson aka the ‘King of Pop’ is one of the most beloved icons in the pop music industry. The multi-talented entertainer has been an inspiration to many young artists over time. However, his personal life has been filled with multiple controversies. There were also rumors of him being a part of the Illuminati Group.
The Alleged Crime
One of the most shocking moments in pop culture happened in the year 1993 when the superstar Michael Jackson was accused of sexual misconduct by a 13-year-old boy, Jordan Chandler. In December 1993, Jackson’s sister La Toya Jackson announced that the abuse allegations were true.
In 2003, Jackson was arrested on accounts of child molestation after the police raided his famous ranch ‘Neverland’. The case went into trail in 2005 but Jackson was acquitted of all the charges. Years after Jackson’s death in 2009, Wade Robson and James Safechuck filed suits against Jackson’s estate.
HBO released a two-part documentary ‘Leaving Neverland’. The documentary tells the stories of Wade Robson and James Safechuck who claimed that they were abused by Jackson for years. It shed light on multiple allegations stating how Jackson shared his bed with multiple young boys. Five such boys accused Jackson of sexual abuse. It was also found that Jackson had a collection of adult erotic material including a study of naked boys.
5. Sean Combs aka P. Diddy:
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Who is he?
Sean Combs, (Sean John Combs aka Sean “Puffy” Combs, Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, and Diddy) is a popular rapper, actor, producer and designer who created an entertainment empire in the 1990s. The Grammy-winning artist has had a tumultuous criminal past including bribery, assault and allegations about ordering hits on other rappers.
The Alleged Crime
In a case resulting from the 1999 shooting that took place in a Manhattan club, Diddy was acquitted of firearm possession and attempted bribery. Diddy and his then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez were celebrating the album release of his 21-year-old protégé, Jamal Barrow. Diddy and a club patron named Matthew Allen aka Scar got into a heated argument. Shots were fired and three people in the club were injured.
After the shooting, Comb and his entourage were found by the police in a sport-utility vehicle. The police discovered a 9-millimeter pistol in the vehicle. The driver Wardel Fenderson testified that the pistol belonged to Diddy. However, Diddy denied carrying a firearm. Later, Jamaal ended up being convicted of assault and possession of gun resulting into 25 years of imprisonment.
In the year 1996, Diddy’s competitor Tupac Shakur was killed after he accused Diddy of setting him up to be shot. In 1997, Diddy witnessed Notorious B.I.G being gunned down by an anonymous attacker outside a party in LA. These shootings became the reason Diddy became the target of a federal investigation which remains open.
6. O. J. Simpson:
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Who is he?
Orenthal James Simpson aka O. J. Simpson aka ‘The Juice’, is a former NFL player, actor, broadcaster and now a famous felon. After quitting NFL, he enjoyed a moderately successful career as an actor and broadcaster. He went on to have one of the most high-profile cases in the American legal history which was dubbed as the ‘Trial of the Century’.
The Alleged Crime
In the year 1994, the star was acquitted of the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. Simpson met his second wife Nicole while he was already married to Marguerite L. Whitley. Nicole accused Simpson of being physically abusive. At the 1989 New Year’s Eve party, the two had a fight where he allegedly threatened to kill her. She later filed for divorce in 1992.
Nicole and Goldman were found stabbed to death outside her LA condo on June 1994. When Simpson became the prime suspect, he tried escaping by hiding in the back of a sport-utility vehicle. This event was televised live nationally. In the end, the law enforcement officers found him at his Brentwood home and taken into police custody.
In July 1994, Simpson pleaded not guilty and the jury was sworn in on November 1994. It has been cited as one of the most notorious criminal trails. The trial began on January 24, 1995, with the verdict being read on October 3, 1995. When Simpson was declared not guilty by the jury, it became one of the most televised event in the American television history with 150 million people tuning in.
Even thought Simpson was found not guilty, he was found liable for the deaths and was ordered to pay 33.5 million USD to the Browns and the Goldman family. In 2008, Simpson was found guilty of armed robbery, assault, kidnapping and few other charges resulting in Simpson being sentenced for 9 to 33 years in prison. Currently, Simpson lives in Las Vegas where he is serving parole for armed robbery. The 1994 murders and trial came back into spotlight in 2016 with the Emmy-award winning miniseries ‘American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson’.
