jennyanydots
<font color=blue>'Their behavior's not good and th
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Judge blocks Lil' Kim from performing in St. Kitts
By ERIN McCLAM
Associated Press Writer
June 18, 2004, 6:44 PM EDT
NEW YORK -- A federal judge Friday blocked rapper Lil' Kim, charged with lying to a grand jury in a shooting investigation, from performing on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts later this month.
Judge Gerard Lynch of Manhattan federal court also scolded the artist, whose real name is Kimberly Jones, for agreeing to the concert in May _ a month after a bail agreement barred her from leaving the United States.
Lawyer Mel Sachs suggested the rapper was not a risk to flee the country permanently, saying, "Your Honor, this is a well-known performer."
"Tell that to Roman Polanski," the judge replied, referring to the Oscar-winning director who fled the United States after he was charged in 1977 with having sex with a 13-year-old girl. "Just because you're a celebrity doesn't mean you don't jump bail and leave the country."
Jones is accused of lying to a grand jury about a 2001 shootout that happened as her entourage was leaving a New York hip-hop radio station and a rival rap group was arriving. One man in the rival group was injured.
The rapper, known for her revealing outfits and risque lyrics, wore a tan pantsuit to the hearing, and her hair was streaked in red-orange hues. She sat with her hands folded in her lap and did not speak.
Jones surrendered her passport after she was charged in April, but Sachs said the government of St. Kitts, which sponsors the St. Kitts Music Festival where she was to perform, would have allowed her to travel without it.
Lil' Kim, who won a Grammy Award for her part in the hit remake of "Lady Marmalade" in 2001, was to perform June 26 along with Ginuwine and Busta Rhymes.
Sachs told reporters his client was to be paid $35,000 for the performance, and now will have to pay an undetermined penalty calculated by concert organizations.
Also Friday, one of the three people charged along with the rapper, Suif Jackson, pleaded guilty to charges that he fired a machine gun at the shootout.
Asked about the possibility Jackson would testify against the rapper, Sachs said: "This is a person who I have reason to believe will not be credible as a prospective witness in this case since his concern is to save himself from very serious charges."
Lil' Kim was not charged with firing a weapon. Her trial on the perjury charge is set for November.
___P>
On the Net:
St. Kitts Music Festival: http://www.stkittsmusicfestival.net
Lil' Kim: http://www.lilkim.com
Copyright © 2004, The Associated Press
By ERIN McCLAM
Associated Press Writer
June 18, 2004, 6:44 PM EDT
NEW YORK -- A federal judge Friday blocked rapper Lil' Kim, charged with lying to a grand jury in a shooting investigation, from performing on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts later this month.
Judge Gerard Lynch of Manhattan federal court also scolded the artist, whose real name is Kimberly Jones, for agreeing to the concert in May _ a month after a bail agreement barred her from leaving the United States.
Lawyer Mel Sachs suggested the rapper was not a risk to flee the country permanently, saying, "Your Honor, this is a well-known performer."
"Tell that to Roman Polanski," the judge replied, referring to the Oscar-winning director who fled the United States after he was charged in 1977 with having sex with a 13-year-old girl. "Just because you're a celebrity doesn't mean you don't jump bail and leave the country."
Jones is accused of lying to a grand jury about a 2001 shootout that happened as her entourage was leaving a New York hip-hop radio station and a rival rap group was arriving. One man in the rival group was injured.
The rapper, known for her revealing outfits and risque lyrics, wore a tan pantsuit to the hearing, and her hair was streaked in red-orange hues. She sat with her hands folded in her lap and did not speak.
Jones surrendered her passport after she was charged in April, but Sachs said the government of St. Kitts, which sponsors the St. Kitts Music Festival where she was to perform, would have allowed her to travel without it.
Lil' Kim, who won a Grammy Award for her part in the hit remake of "Lady Marmalade" in 2001, was to perform June 26 along with Ginuwine and Busta Rhymes.
Sachs told reporters his client was to be paid $35,000 for the performance, and now will have to pay an undetermined penalty calculated by concert organizations.
Also Friday, one of the three people charged along with the rapper, Suif Jackson, pleaded guilty to charges that he fired a machine gun at the shootout.
Asked about the possibility Jackson would testify against the rapper, Sachs said: "This is a person who I have reason to believe will not be credible as a prospective witness in this case since his concern is to save himself from very serious charges."
Lil' Kim was not charged with firing a weapon. Her trial on the perjury charge is set for November.
___P>
On the Net:
St. Kitts Music Festival: http://www.stkittsmusicfestival.net
Lil' Kim: http://www.lilkim.com
Copyright © 2004, The Associated Press
