Akon pleads guilty to harassment

11 months ago 18th Dec 11:00

Akon

Akon might have been shooting his mouth off about Michael Jackson recently, but he was keeping it firmly shut when it came to pleading guilty in his second-degree harassment case.

The R & B star has somehow managed to avoid jail time by pleading guilty in the case brought against him after he after he hurled a fan off stage last summer.

The Senegalese-American singer - real name Aliaune Thiam - was accused of picking up a teenage boy and throwing him off the stage during a concert on 3 June 2007 near Poughkeepsie, New York.

Keen to get involved in the action, another concertgoer said she suffered concussion when the teen landed on her. However a plea deal with the Dutchess County District Attorney's Office dropped a charge of endangering the welfare of a child, allowing him to plead guilty to a violation.

Akon will serve no jail time provided he performs 65 hours of anti-gang and anti-violence community service and pays a $250 (�165) fine.

A statement released by the singer's attorney, Andrea Zellan, reads: "We are pleased that the case has been resolved and Akon looks forward to putting this unfortunate incident behind him".