Cardi B has admitted two offences arising from a brawl in a strip club, as part of a deal that means she will avoid a trial and possible jail time.
The Grammy-winning rapper, born Belcalis Almanzar, pleaded guilty to third-degree assault and second-degree reckless endangerment and was sentenced to 15 days of community service. Ten other charges were dismissed. The 29-year-old in court admitted to organising and participating in two attacks on employees of the Angels nightclub in New York in 2018. According to authorities, the incidents grew out of a feud between Almanzar and two sisters – one of whom she believed was having an affair with her husband, the rapper Offset. Prosecutors said that, on the first night, Almanzar and her entourage struck the victim, a bartender, pulling her hair, punching her and slamming her head into the bar.
Two weeks later, they returned, throwing alcohol, bottles and a hookah pipe at the first victim’s sister. Asked to confirm the details in court, Almanzar did so quietly, admitting she had offered a friend $5,000 (£4,000) over Instagram to assist her in the confrontation.
As well as community service, the rapper has been ordered 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 was due to come to trial, the New York Times reported.
In her statement, the rapper said: “Part of growing up and maturing is being accountable for your actions. As a mother, it’s a practice that I am trying to instil 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.”
Melinda Katz, the Queen’s district attorney, said in a statement: “No one is above the law. In pleading guilty today, Ms Belcalis Almanzar and two co-defendants have accepted responsibility for their actions.”