Cardi B rejects plea deal in strip club brawl case, facing up to one year in jail
Cardi B, charged with multiple counts of assault and reckless endangerment in connection with a brawl in a Queens strip club last summer, appeared in court in New York on Friday and rejected a plea deal that would have kept her out of jail.
The Queens District Attorney's Office said the platinum-selling and Grammy-winning rapper rejected a deal that would have allowed her to plead guilty to one misdemeanor count and be released under certain conditions instead of serving time in jail.
It was not clear why she rejected the deal. Her lawyer, Jeff Kern, did not return calls from USA TODAY.
Her next court date is May 31.
She posted a picture of herself on Instagram in her go-to-court outfit, featuring a white tunic and palazzo pants with white sandals.
COURT FLOW @csiriano X Birkinpussy
A post shared by CARDIVENOM (@iamcardib) on Apr 19, 2019 at 9:09am PDT
Belcalis Almanzar (her real name), 26, was arrested and charged last October with multiple misdemeanor counts stemming from an early morning melee at Angels Gentlemen's Club in Queens in August. Police said she instigated the fight and members of her entourage carried it out.
The police report says a fight broke out during which chairs, bottles and hookah water pipes were thrown, injuring two women, including the bartender.
Her rejection of the plea deal means the original charges against her remain. Also, she has been ordered not to have any contact with the two injured employees, including comments on social media.
If she is convicted, she could face up to one year in jail.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cardi B rejects plea deal in strip club brawl case, facing up to one year in jail
