Rapper Beanie Sigel On His Way "Back Home " Behind Bars?
Seems like Gangsta Rapper Beanie Sigel just can't get enough of the Feds.
Or it could it be that the Feds just can't get enough of Sigel?
Whatever way you slice it, though, Sigel is under federal indictment -- AGAIN -- and this time for tax evasion. An indictment released earlier this week accuses Siegel of not paying federal income tax on about $1.54 million he earned 2004, 2005, and 2006.
If convicted, Sigel -- who starred in the 2002 movie, State Property -- faces up to three years in prison and a fine of up to $300,000.
But it won't be like Sigel would necessarily find himself in unfamiliar surroundings.
In 2004 Sigel, whose goverment name is Dwight Grant, was convicted on a federal weapons charge and spent a year behind bars.
Don't cry, though, it could have been worse.
He was orginally arrested for attempted murder after shooting a man in front of a Philadelphia nightclub. But the man and another witness changed their testimony, saying they couldn't say for sure it was Sigel who fired the shots.
As an aside, both men earlier told police they received death threats. So Sigel was acquitted of the attempted murder charges, but got stuck with that old nasty illegal guns charge.
Soon after his release in 2005, Sigel was once again in trouble. Seems that the feds had the nerve to tell Sigel to stay away from from drugs as part of his parole agreement. Like that was going to stop a real gangsta rapper? Not our Beanie! Sigel was thrown in the clinker again after failing -- not one, but FIVE drug tests.
Then Sigel was arrested again in 2008 after traveling to Atlantic City without prior permission from his parole officer. He actually only had to do one day behind bars for the violation, although he then had to spend six months in a half-way house.
Sigel's attorney, Fortunato N. Perri, Jr., pointed out that Sigel was incarcerated during part of the period he's accused of not paying his taxes, and said that other people were supposed to be handling the rapper's finances during that time.
"I don't think he's being targeted," Perri said,"he just needs to get his personal business and tax affairs cleaned up."
Sigel, who hails from Philadelphia, was once closely associated with Jay-Z, but released a diss record against the music mogul late last year. He later said he was hurt that Jay-Z had not visited or written him letters while
he was doing his time.
