When celebrities are incarcerated and sentenced to a term in jail, it creates widespread disbelief and shock. It is because they are often looked upon as role models and people often believe that they aren’t prone to petty crimes. Their time behind bars manages to leave an everlasting blemish and it is something they must take to their graves as audiences can be quite unforgiving. Nonetheless, it helps us identify them as mere mortals who do have their minutes of madness every now and then. We have compiled a list on 9 celebrities who’ve had to repent their hasty judgment and mistakes behind bars.
1. Tim Allen
Tim Allen-thesmokinggun.com
Isn’t it shocking to find Tim Allen on this list? Before tickling our funny bones as a comedian, the actor was struggling to make ends meet and keep his head afloat. The bills arrived on his doorstep on time, but his paycheck hardly came around uniformly. It was difficult to get by and the situated prompted him to sell drugs to make payments. Soon enough, the law enforcers caught up to his nefarious acts and arrested him for the possession of 1.4lb cocaine in 1978. Although the man was given a sentence of 3 to 7 years, he was given early parole for his cooperation and snitching ways. Thus, he only had to spend 2 years and 4 months in a Minnesotan correctional facility.
2. Danny Trejo
Danny Trejo-toptenz.net
Danny Trejo very often portrays the role of a tough guy in Hollywood movies. That’s because he has had some experience living that sort of life. If we need to add up the number of years he has served behind bars, it sums up to 11. He had to do his time because he was caught committing petty crimes such as drug abuse and robbery. It is also a well-known fact that the man was an inmate at the California prison system for numerous years. The actor has enacted scenes in several successful movies such as Con Air, Heat, and Desperado etc. A lot of people also know him as the character, Machete.
3. C-Murder
C-Murder-www.vibe.com
It is not mere happenstance that Corey Miller decided to pick C-Murder as his stage name. Before his sentencing, C-Murder had a pretty good life ahead of him. His acting prowess and rapping skills were serving him well financially. In fact, the man had released nine albums before his sentencing. Unfortunately, everything went downhill for the guy when he was convicted of a second-degree murder. He was ostensibly involved in an altercation in 2001, and the tussle provoked him into pulling the trigger on the owner and the bouncer of a night club. If reports are to be believed, C-Murder fired shots after being denied entrance to the club for possession of arms.
4. Shelley Malil
Shelley Malil-screencrave.com
Shelley Malil calls the Ironwood State Prison at Riverside County, California his home and he has no one but himself to blame for it. Although his acting career never really went into full gear before the incarceration, Shelley had still managed to flaunt his area of expertise in several supporting roles, most notably in the movies, The 40-year-old virgin, Holes, Collateral Damage, and Columbus Day etc. He was apprehended at an Amtrak station for stabbing his ex-girlfriend 23 times and was, thus, sentenced to a life in prison on December 16, 2010. The Indian-born American has the opportunity for an early parole after twelve years if he acts like a trained monkey in jail. It is fair to state that justice has been served on this occasion.
5. Phil Spector
Phil Spector-mirror.co.uk
Phil Spector is a household name in the music industry. During his heyday, the record producer, songwriter collaborated with the likes of John Lennon, Leonard Cohen, George Harrison and the Ramones. His golden era from the 1960s to the 1970s was quickly followed with a hiatus in the 90s and 2000s. Suddenly, in the year 2000, the man was the talk of the town again, but this time, it was for all the wrong reasons. He had to undergo two trials for murder and a second-degree murder. The man finally faced the music in 2009 when he was convicted of second-degree murder and the conviction led him to a sentencing of 19 years in the confined bars of a prison. He was charged for playing an atrocious role in the death of the actress, Lana Clarkson.
6. OJ Simpson
OJ Simpson-blacklikemoi.com
Nicknamed, “The Juice,” OJ Simpson made his mark in the world playing professional football as a running back for the NFL teams, the Buffalo Bills, and, the San Francisco 49ers. The man spent 11 seasons in the NFL. He also tried his hand at acting and broadcasting before misfortune befell him. After being proven culpable for the wrongful death of Brown and Goldman, he was ordered by the court to pay a whopping $33.5 million in damages. He was also later apprehended for stealing sports memorabilia at gunpoint and it resulted in him having to face the sentencing of 33 years in prison.
7. Don King
Don King-grantland.com
Synonymous with boxing promotions, Don King failed to act in accordance with the law in 1966 when he stomped Sam Garrett to death. The heinous crime only landed him 3-and-a-half years in prison after his charges were reduced to manslaughter; he was originally on trial for second-degree murder. His lawyers must have used a loophole in the law system to get him such a lenient sentencing. The boxing promoter’s biggest career highlight to this day remains spearheading the promotions of “The Rumble in the Jungle,” and the “Thrilla in Manila.” He also went on to promote some of the biggest names in boxing such as Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Joe Frazier, and George Foreman etc.
8. Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan-www.nydailynews.com
Lindsay Lohan has had a tumultuous time in the limelight. The child star has quickly strayed away from her projected career success trajectory and found herself in hot water many times over the years. She has truly fallen from grace and she must alone shoulder the responsibilities. The actress regularly found herself on the wrong side of the law in 2007 when handcuffs spoke to her wrists like ornaments usually for drug and drinking felonies. That year saw her experience an 84-minute jail time but it wasn’t enough to scare her away. The prison welcomed her presence again in 2010 and 2011.
9. Amanda Bynes
Amanda Bynes-nypost.com
Amanda Bynes’s legal and psychiatric troubles have often found its way to the dinner tables in recent times. If our memory serves us well, the actress and fashion designer first found her home in prison back in 2012. Charged with DUI, Amanda had to spend the night in prison. Amanda had to face the wrath of the law enforcers again in 2013 when reckless endangerment and the possession of marijuana on her part, played a hand in forcing the hand of the enforcers. Amanda Bynes is the classic case of child actors going haywire in their adulthood.
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