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Artist News Legal
Akon pleads guilty to harassment over fan throwing incident
By CMU Editorial | Published on Thursday 18 December 2008
Akon has pleaded guilty to harassment in relation to that incident last June when he threw a fan off the stage at a gig near New York, injuring another fan in the process.
As much previously reported, Akon told Anthony Smith, a fan he believed had thrown something at him during a gig in the US town of Fishkill, to come up on stage. He then picked Smith up and threw him into the audience, injuring one Abby Rosa in the process.
At the time it wasn’t clear if Smith was playing along with the whole thing – making it essentially an elaborate stage dive – or whether the hip hop star had basically assaulted his fan. Either way, Rosa, who says she suffered concussion as a result of the incident, wasn’t impressed.
Akon apologised for the incident last year, but initially pleaded not guilty to the charges relating to it. Yesterday, though, he accepted the harassment charges as part of a plea bargain which will ensure he serves no jail time in relation to the fracas. He was instead fined $250 and ordered to do 65 hours of community service.
According to Rolling Stone, Akon spoke to Smith after entering his plea at Fishkill Town Hall. Smith himself reportedly seemed happy to consider the matter resolved, though his father seemed a little more pissed off at the hip hopper in relation to the incident.
It’s not clear what Rosa thinks about the latest development. She had reportedly considered legal action in relation to her injuries, and Akon’s guilty plea could improve her case in a civil action.
