Celebrities arrested in 2019: From Jane Fonda and Ted Danson at climate protest to college admissions scam, R Kelly and A$AP Rocky
Celebrities are not always God-fearing, law-abiding citizens at all times; often they disrupt law and break rules. And while some of these are outright vile incidents of crime, assault and harassment such as R. Kelly and Chris Brown, there are those like Jane Fonda and Ted Danson who were arrested for protesting climate change.
There are some that stem from wealth inequality and privilege, cases like Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman's college admissions scam. Here is a list of celebrities getting in trouble with the law in 2019.
Ted Danson and Jane Fonda arrested at climate crisis protest
It was at the Fire Drill Friday climate change protest in Washington DC October 25 that Ted Danson and Jane Fonda were arrested. This made it the third consecutive arrest in three weeks for Fonda, who was present at the protest that demanded immediate and urgent action be taken to address climate change.
But the duo was far from disgruntled, proudly sporting their zip-tie handcuffs as the pair were arrested by U.S. Capitol Police. The actors were among the 32 people arrested for "unlawfully demonstrating in the intersection of East Capitol and First Streets", and charged with crowding, obstructing and incommoding.
Lori Loughlin college admissions scam
On March 12, actress and producer Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli were among 50 people charged by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's office in a nationwide college entrance exam cheating scandal.
The couple was accused of paying $500,000 disguised as a donation to the Key Worldwide Foundation to gain their daughters' admittance into the University of Southern California. Neither of Loughlin's daughter ever rowed before but pretended to be crew members.
The scandal began to fall apart in October 2018 when Key Worldwide Foundation was audited and investigations were made into the donations made by parents whose children were admitted to USC.
Felicity Huffman college admissions scam
Primetime Emmy Award recipient and Oscar nominee Felicity Huffman was involved in the same aforementioned admissions scam as Lori Loughlin. The actress reportedly paid $15,000 to get their eldest daughter through a college entrance exam. On May 13, she pleaded guilty to honest services fraud and was sentenced to 14 days jail time.
Chris Brown's arrest for aggravated rape and drug violations
Rapper Chris Brown was arrested in Paris on January 22, on allegations of aggravated rape and drug violation. The R&B singer was accused of raping a 24-year-old woman in a five-star hotel after meeting her in a nightclub.
This wasn't the first time Brown was in trouble with the law over a violent incident. He was sentenced to five years' probation and 1,400 hours of community service and counseling for a February 2009 assault on then-girlfriend Rihanna.
A$AP Rocky arrested for aggravated assault
American rapper and songwriter A$AP Rocky was arrested, at first, for aggravated assault and then simply for assault in Sweden. It was following a street altercation that involved Rocky and three of his entourage on June 30. The rapper shared videos of the incident to his Instagram in an attempt to clarify the case.
As a result of the arrest, A$AP Rocky's tour was put on hold. Fans started petitions online to release him. On July 25, he was charged with assault causing harm with the trial starting on July 30. On August 14, he was convicted of assault and given a suspended prison sentence and told to pay 12,500 Swedish krona ($1,270) in damages to the victim.
Kodak Black arrested for criminal possession of a weapon, felony, marijuana possession and misdemeanor
Just as Kodak Black was preparing to perform at Rolling Loud Miami on May 11, he was arrested on firearm charges. A month before that, in April 2019, he and three others were arrested as they tried crossing the US-Canada border near Buffalo with guns and marijuana.
He was booked on suspicion of criminal possession of a weapon and unlawful possession of marijuana. Although he faced 10 years in prison, on November 13, he was sentenced to 46 months in prison.
R. Kelly facing charges of sex-trafficking, sexual assault and child pornography
On February 22, R. Kelly was charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse by the Cook County State's Attorney's Office in Illinois. Kelly allegedly sexually abused four females from 1998 to 2010 three of whom were teen minors at the time.
On July 12, rapper R. Kelly was hit with two separate federal indictments in Illinois and Brooklyn that depicted an organised effort from the star and his associates to recruit and transport underage girls over state lines for illegal sexual purposes, including the production of child pornography as well as covering up their crimes by paying off and threatening victims and witnesses.
The indictments could keep the Grammy winner in jail for decades. He was denied bail. On August 5, he was charged with soliciting a minor and prostitution for a 2001 allegation of inviting a girl to his hotel room, paying her $200 to undress and dance with him. He met the young girl before a concert in Minneapolis.
Jussie Smollett false report
Early this year on January 29, once upon a time 'Empire' star Jussie Smollett informed the police he was attacked at the 300 block of East Lower North Water Street in Streeterville, Chicago. He falsely claimed two people physically attacked him after using racial and homophobic slurs, poured an unknown chemical substance on him and tied a rope around his neck.
Approximately a month later on February 20, Smollett was indicted for disorderly conduct. He had paid Nigerian-American brothers to stage a fake hate crime assault on him and then filed the police report. All charges against Smollett were dropped in return for community service.