The Daily Blog

Lawrence Taylor To Become Registered Sex Offender, Sentenced To 6 Years Probation.

NEW CITY, N.Y. — The teenage girl at the center of the sex-crimes case against football great Lawrence Taylor made a surprise appearance at his sentencing Tuesday, eager to declare that he should be behind bars.

She was denied the chance to speak in court, and Taylor was sentenced to six years’ probation, as agreed when he pleaded guilty in January to sexual misconduct and patronizing an underage prostitute.

The former New York Giants linebacker must register as a sex offender, but a hearing on exactly how that will affect him was postponed to April 12.

The girl arrived with celebrity lawyer Gloria Allred, who described her as “a sex-trafficking victim.” The girl, now 17, has been identified in court and by Allred only by the initials C.F.

Allred stood beside the girl at a news conference but later refused to reveal her name. She would not say whether the girl plans a lawsuit against Taylor but said, “We look forward to representing her as she continues her fight for justice.”

She said Taylor “should be in the hall of shame, not the Hall of Fame.”

The girl was 16 – under the age of consent – when she met Taylor last May.

Speaking outside the Rockland County Courthouse, she denied she was a prostitute and said another man, whom she called Rasheed, forced her to go into Taylor’s Montebello hotel room by punching her in the face.

She said Taylor should have been able to tell she had been beaten and that she was underage.

“I believe Mr. Taylor could see my face and how young I was,” she said. “I did what he told me to do because I was afraid what would happen if I didn’t.”

She added, her voice breaking, “I am upset that he will not go to jail for what he did to me.”

The other man has been identified in a separate federal prosecution in Manhattan as Rasheed Davis, who is accused of acting as the girl’s pimp and who allegedly assaulted her and brought her to Taylor’s room at the Holiday Inn. Prosecutors have credited Taylor with helping them in that case.

Taylor said when he pleaded guilty that the girl told him she was 19. His attorney, Arthur Aidala, said Tuesday that Taylor “did not intend to patronize a prostitute who was under legal age.”

He apologized on Taylor’s behalf to Taylor’s wife, family and fans.

Aidala criticized Allred for exposing the girl to the public eye, saying, “This young woman is being victimized once again.”

The girl had hoped to read her statement in court, but Taylor’s lawyer objected and state Supreme Court Justice William Kelly said victims are entitled to speak only at felony sentencings. Taylor’s crimes were misdemeanors.

Taylor was arrested after the girl’s uncle contacted New York City police. The ex-athlete was originally charged with third-degree rape.

When he pleaded guilty to the lesser charges, Taylor admitting having intercourse with the girl, who turned out to be a Bronx runaway. He said he paid her $300.

Taylor led the Giants to Super Bowl titles in 1987 and 1991. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the NFL’s 75th Anniversary All-Time Team.

In 2009, he competed in ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars.” He had also been a spokesman for the weight-loss company NutriSystem, but he was dropped after his arrest.

After the hearing in April, the judge will decide whether to classify Taylor as a Level 1, 2 or 3 sex offender – low, medium or high risk. It appeared in court that Aidala will argue for Level 1 while prosecutors are suggesting Level 2.

John Caher, spokesman for the state Criminal Justice Services Division, said Level 1 offenders aren’t posted on a public website, but anyone who calls the division can find out if a person is a sex offender.

All sex offenders have to report their addresses annually and report changes within 10 days.

Aidala persuaded the judge to modify some of the probation restrictions generally imposed on sex offenders. For example, the judge said Taylor would be allowed to bring his young son to school or to a park. He also agreed to a 1 a.m. curfew for Taylor instead of 11 p.m.

In addition, Taylor will be permitted to serve his probation in Broward County, Fla., where he lives.

Kelly offered Taylor a chance to speak in court before the sentencing but Taylor declined, saying, “I’m fine, judge.”

T.I. Busted Receiving ‘Tiny’ Sexual Favor in Prison.

T.I., who is still imprisoned for violating probation terms from a drug arrest last year, is apparently in need of more than a release from behind bars. TMZ is reporting that the ATL rapper was busted for receiving a handjob from his wife Tiny. Apparently, during a routine visit at Arkansas State Prison, Tiny was found in violation of prison rules for her show of affection and separated from T.I. Poor guy.

She confirms that the rapper was then escorted to the “Special Housing Unit” of the jail, which is usually reserved for prisoners with code-of-conduct violations . This means, at least temporarily, T.I. will be housed in a unit that features higher security standards and less personal freedom.

Prison guidelines state that inmates are certainly allowed to kiss and embrace their visitors at the beginning and end of a visit. While chatting, they can hold hands with any recourse, but hand to other-body-part contact is little bit beyond what they have in mind. “The inmate’s hands must remain in plain view of Visiting Room staff at all times,” reads the rules.

Tiny told TMZ that she has yet to speak to T.I. since the incident went down. She thinks that they will allow her to visit again soon as long as she plays by the rules this time.

Ex-Marine Gets Probation for Killing Man Over Peeing Pooch.

An Illinois judge has sentenced a retired U.S. Marine to four years of probation for killing a man whose dog urinated on his award-winning lawn.

Will County Judge Daniel Rozak made the ruling in the case this afternoon. As a result, Charles J. Clements, 69, will not serve any jail time for the May shooting of 23-year-old Joshua Funches, Chicago’s NBC 5-TV reported.

Funches was walking his fox terrier in the Chicago suburb of University Park on May 9 when the dog urinated on Clements’ front lawn, Will County prosecutors said. An argument between the two men ensued, during which Clements pulled out a .45-caliber handgun and pointed it at Funches, police say.Witnesses later told police Funches became agitated and said, “Next time you pull out a pistol, why don’t you use it?” Clements responded by firing a single shot that struck Funches in the abdomen, Assistant State’s Attorney Sondra Denmark said.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Clements had won a lawn-beautification award handed out to residents. Neighbors told the newspaper he was known to yell at anyone who stepped on his lawn.Funches, a father of two, was pronounced dead at St. James Hospital in nearby Olympia Fields.

Clements’ attorney, Daniel Collins, claimed the shooting was in self-defense and occurred after Funches repeatedly struck Clements in the face.

“He feared for his safety,” Collins told the Tribune in June. “He also felt that his life was in danger.”

In October, Clements was convicted of second-degree murder in the shooting. He faced a possible sentence of four to 20 years, with an option for probation.

During today’s sentencing hearing, Rozak said Clements had no prior run-ins with the law and said the case was not about his lawn, but “about your reaction … to being yelled at, pushed and punched in the face by a 23-year-old man,” the Tribune reported.Following the sentencing, the Will County State Attorney’s Office said in a statement that it respected the judge’s decision.

“Given the serious nature of the crime and the evidence presented at trial, the State’s Attorney’s Office asked the judge for a prison sentence for Charles Clements,” the statement reads. “After presiding over the trial and hearing all the facts and circumstances, the judge determined that probation was an appropriate sentence. He is an excellent judge and we respect his decision.”

Funches’ relatives were upset by the ruling.

“This is not justice,” his aunt, Gail Williams, told the Chicago Breaking News Center.

DMX to Spend Year in Prison After Probation Is Revoked.

DMX will spend his birthday behind bars, as court officials in Arizona have plans to sentence him to one year in prison. The Maricopa County Superior Court ruled against the rapper Thursday (Dec. 16), revoking his probation and sending him back to the slammer for an extended period.

X, born Earl Simmons, was arrested for possession of Oxycontin last month and later failed to submit to drug testing. He was also believed to be under the influence of cocaine, and drove on a suspended license. The troubled rapper admitted to being kicked out of a rehabilitation program after drinking alcohol during a show in Scottsdale. “I shouldn’t have done it,” X said. “I wasn’t done with the program. They let me out to do the show. I should have protected myself better.”

As previously reported, X was denied bond and has been sitting in jail since his arrest in November. Although he previously vowed never to return to Arizona, the former Ruff Ryder just can’t seem to stay out of trouble in the state.

On the music front, X was attempting to rejuvenate his fledgling rap career, but drug addiction and constant arrests appear to have derailed his comeback. He turns 40 on Dec. 18.

Rip Torn Admits Breaking Into Bank With a Gun.

Rip Torn has pleaded guilty to breaking into a bank while drunk and carrying a loaded gun. We bet Arthur would never have come up with that crazy idea on ‘The Larry Sanders Show.’

Prosecutors say the Emmy-winning Torn pleaded guilty to several charges stemming from the incident that happened earlier this year: Reckless endangerment, criminal trespass, criminal mischief and the illegal carrying of a firearm. He was arrested back in January after police found him inside a Bancorp branch in Litchfield, Connecticut.

Torn was given a two-and-half year suspended sentence and three years of probation. Conditions of the sentence include a ban on possessing guns as well as random drug and alcohol tests.

Prosecutors had said Torn was so intoxicated during his bank break-in that he believed he was at home and had left his hat and boots by the door. A lawyer for the 79-year-old actor said his client was thankful no-one had been injured in the incident and that he had been spared a jail term.

T.I. Covers VIBE, Says Drug Use Started After Trip to Dentist.

As T.I. lingers in prison for a probation-violating drug bust, he is still creating a big media presence in the lead-up to his next album ‘No Mercy.’ The ATL rapper is covering the December issue of VIBE and speaks frankly on his history with drug use. He says that a series of dental surgeries and subsequent use of pain killers due to his rough schedule is responsible for the hold of drugs on his life.

“I had a lot of work done to my teeth,” he explains in a frank interview. “Oral surgery, extractions, six, seven, eight root canals. Between January to February. As soon as I got out, I had a lot of stuff done. In the joint, you eat s—- that is unhealthy for you. I had fillings that fell out and stuff that had to get dealt with. Of course for the pain they gave me oxycontin and hydrocodone.”

He claims that he cut off all drug use, including marijuana and alcohol, in October 2007. He mistook the legality of painkillers as a different sort of substance than those illegal mainstays and eventually developed a certain dependency.

“I had cut off everything — weed, alcohol,” he continues. “Then I get these pills and I start taking them for the pain at first. And then I’m like, Wait_this s—- makes me feel good. And it’s legal. After the pain went away, I kept taking it. I had like five, six prescriptions. So I had, like 80 pills. Everybody else might have a drink or smoke a blunt, I took a pain pill. Times when I had 18-, 20-hour days, I’d take a pain pill. And eventually I developed — I guess — the beginning stages of dependence.”

Rapper T.I. Summoned To Court After LA Arrest.

ATLANTA — Rapper T.I. is expected to appear before a federal judge in Atlanta to explain why his probation shouldn’t be revoked after his recent arrest in Los Angeles.

U.S. District Judge Charles Pannell Jr. signed the summons for T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris, on Thursday. The same judge sentenced Harris for firearms violations.

The order lists three possible violations of his bond: possession of ecstasy, testing positive for opiates and associating with a convicted felon.

Pannell did not set a date for the hearing.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s officials say the Grammy award-winning rapper was stopped Sept. 1 on a Hollywood street after making an illegal U-turn. Police say they found several pills confirmed to be a controlled substance.