Grammy-winning rapper Cardi B confessed to two offenses stemming from a brawl in a strip club in 2018 as part of a deal, which means she’ll have to avoid a trial and possible jail time.
Prosecutors said that Almanzar and her entourage struck the victim on the first night – a bartender, pulling her hair, punching her, and slamming her head into the bar. They returned two weeks later, throwing alcohol, bottles, and a hookah pipe at the first victim’s sister.
Almanzar did so quietly when asked to confirm the details in court, admitting she had offered a friend $5,000 over Instagram to aid her in the conflict.
With community service, the Rapper has been mandated to stay away from the victims – identified as Jade and Baddie Gi – for three years. She accepted the plea deal one day before the case came to trial.
Melinda Katz, the Queen’s district attorney, said, “No one is above the law. In pleading guilty today, Ms. Belcalis Almanzar and two co-defendants have accepted responsibility for their actions.”
“I’ve made bad decisions in my past that I am not afraid to face and own up to,” Cardi B said.
The musician’s lawyer, Drew Findling, said she wanted to draw a line under the case. He said, “There are too many things that she has planned for her family, for her career, and the community, and she just felt, quite honestly, that a three-week jury trial was going to be a distraction from the things that she felt were most important and so, hence, we made contact with the prosecution.”
After Thursday’s hearing at Queens County Criminal Court in New York, the ‘Girls Like You’ Rapper was mobbed by dozens of fans and court employees.
“Part of growing up and maturing is being accountable for your actions. As a mother, it’s a practice I am trying to instill in my children, but the example starts with me. These moments don’t define me, and they are not reflective of who I am now,” the Rapper said.
Cardi’s debut album, ‘Invasion of Privacy’ won the Grammy for best reap album in 2019, and she scored the global number one hits with the Latin mix ‘I Like It’ and the X-rated ‘WAP,’ which is a duet with Megan Thee Stallion.
