Celebrities Who Are Currently In Jail

As a general observation, celebrities have a unique way of seeming to be able to skirt justice — remember the 82 minutes of her four-day sentence that Nicole Richie served for a 2007 DUI? But that's certainly not always the case. In fact, there are stars on this list who will likely die in prison. Some claim to have been wrongly convicted, while others have taken full responsibility for their actions and are just biding their time in the big house before reentering society. There's even a teenage rapper in here who shot to stardom on the very day that he cut his home arrest ankle monitor off and became a fugitive on murder charges. 

Yes, these celebs made big splashes in the world of sports, acting, and music, but bad decisions changed the course of their careers and landed them behind bars. These are the celebrities who are currently in jail. 

Former music mogul Suge Knight was charged with murder and attempted murder in February 2015, following a fatal hit-and-run on the set of the hit film 'Straight Outta Compton,' reported the Los Angeles Times. Knight was accused of running over Terry Carter, who died, and Cle "Bone" Sloan, who survived, with his truck. Because of his criminal history and the seriousness of his charges, Knight's $2.2 million bail was revoked, reported the paper.

The much-anticipated trial, which was delayed for years due to Knight's various health issues and changes in legal counsel — an astounding 15 lawyers joined and left from the case since his 2015 arrest — ended in September 2018, when Knight entered a plea of "no contest to voluntary manslaughter," according to The New York Times. This isn't Knight's first tussle with trouble. He was shot six times at a nightclub in 2014, and arrested for driving on a suspended license in 2013. He also landed in a hospital in 2009 after a fight at an Arizona hotel.

Once again, because of his violent past, Knight received a tougher sentence than a first-time offender. He was sentenced to 28 years in prison, which he will serve at R.J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, according to KGET. He will be up for parole in 2037.  

Musician C-Murder was sentenced to life in prison for killing a teenager during a scuffle in 2002. According to The Associated Press (via Page Six), C-Murder (real name Corey Miller) got into a fight with a 16-year-old fan named Steve Thomas outside a club in Harvey, La. MTV News reports that a jury ruled that "Miller shot Thomas once in the chest as the teen lay on his back while being beaten by the rapper's friends." Following a civil case in 2013, C-Murder was also ordered to pay the victim's family more than $1.1 million ($500,000 each to Thomas' parents and another $150,000 for their suffering), per Page Six.

C-Murder has consistently proclaimed his innocence. In January 2018, his publicist, Tammy "Ty" Page, told AllHipHop (via BX) that they knew of a prisoner in another jail who confessed to Thomas' murder on tape and even signed an affidavit attesting to it. Page also told the rap news site that C-Murder was at the time engaged in a hunger strike to bring awareness to his claim that he and other prisoners were being "denied proper healthcare," while being "treated inhumanely."

According to Louisiana Weekly, C-Murder's defense team has sought "a new trial" based on recanted testimony from two witnesses who identified him as the shooter in his original trial, however prosecutors in the case "continue to seek to block efforts" on behalf of the incarcerated rapper. He was denied the retrial in 2019.

In July 2019, Texas rapper Taymor Travon McIntyre (a.k.a. Tay-K 47) was found guilty for his involvement in the botched robbery and resulting murder of 21-year-old Ethan Walker, according to The New York Times. Per The Star-Telegram, McIntyre was originally accused of the crime at age 16. After being "certified to stand trial as an adult in the case," he was granted a bond and placed on house arrest. In early 2017, he cut off his ankle monitor and fled. McIntyre released a track called "The Race" on June 30, the day he was captured. The track went viral and eventually ended up charting on Billboard's Hot 100. 

During his life on the lam, McIntyre also allegedly participated in two additional robberies, one of which resulted in the homicide of Mark Anthony Saldivar, and the other a vicious attack. McIntyre was eventually caught and brought to court for another bond hearing in March 2018, during which District Judge Wayne Salvant denied the request for bond and admonished him for scenes in "The Race" video where he's "brandishing a 9mm handgun and standing next to a wanted poster of himself." The judge added, "I don't know what this country has become when people can go out and allegedly commit heinous crimes and be glorified for it." 

McIntyre was later sentenced to 55 years in prison. In November 2019, he was indicted for the April 2017 murder of Saldivar.

This is no James Charles-Tati drama, nor is it a petty spat between Jeffree Star and Kat Von D. If you're not familiar with the world of YouTube, you may not know Austin Jones, who racked up more than half a million subscribers by doing a cappella covers of popular songs on the YouTube channel he launched in 2007. Since then, Jones has become one of the most controversial figures on the platform, and his behavior ultimately landed him a decade-long prison sentence.

In 2015, Jones was "accused of lying about his age to get underage girls to send him twerking videos because they 'make him happy,'" according to the now-defunct music blog PupFresh (via Alt Press). Per BuzzFeed News, these allegations eventually got him booted from his scheduled run on the Vans Warped Tour after "more than 9,000 people signed a petition calling for his removal." At the time, Jones did admit to soliciting twerking videos, but did not directly address whether or not they were sexual in nature. It wasn't until two years later that the star was arrested at Chicago O'Hare International Airport on two counts of felony child pornography, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

After Jones pleaded guilty in February 2019, and his YouTube account was swiftly removed, he received a shocking 10-year sentence, which he began in June of that year (via the Chicago Tribune).

Former Subway spokesperson Jared Fogle was sentenced to 15 years and eight months in prison for child pornography charges, as well as charges he crossed state lines to pay for sex with minors, reported CNN. Fogle was also ordered to pay $1.4 million in restitution to 14 victims and $175,000 in fines. 

Prison life hasn't been easy for the sandwich slinger. In March 2017, he was beaten by a fellow inmate, reported TMZ. The assailant, Steve Nigg, wrote a letter obtained by the tab explaining that he beat up Fogle because the spokesman is allegedly treated like a "hero" amongst other molesters and uses bodyguards to protect himself. "Other child molesters looked at him as if he was a God," Nigg wrote. Despite being punished for the attack, Nigg wrote, "I have no regrets."

In March 2018, Fogle made the news again when he and two fellow inmates filed a lawsuit against "federal authorities and his former attorneys" for what one of the men summarized to USA Today as "constitutional violations, government overreach and convictions not based in the law." Fogle specifically alleged that prosecutors duped him into a guilty plea with "bogus conspiracy charges." The judge wasn't impressed, however, and dismissed his whole lawsuit with prejudice in July. In 2021, Fogle spoke from behind bars for the first time, writing in a letter obtained by the New York Post that he had "royally screwed up" and looking forward to his eventual release.

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.

Before N.W.A. and Public Enemy, there was Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. The collective is largely credited for inventing the same kind of politically-charged hip hop that made their predecessors famous. In other words, without Grandmaster Flash, we wouldn't have Kendrick Lamar, and Detective Tutuola might have never tried his first bagel after more than 15 years on the fake NYPD.

Furious Five member Kidd Creole (real name Nathaniel Glover Jr.) was one of the first rappers ever inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, but that doesn't mean his other achievements are as notable. According to People, the star reportedly later worked as a security guard and landed himself in jail on second-degree murder charges. Glover had allegedly stabbed a homeless man, John Jolly, twice in the torso in New York City after he thought the man was either making a pass at him or planning to rob him. Glover reportedly fled the scene and Jolly later died from his injuries.

He entered a plea of not guilty in August 2017. The following month, per New York Post, Glover's attorneys indicated that they planned "to present psychiatric evidence of mental disease or defect" as part of the former rapper's defense, although "the nature of the mental illness" was not specified. The judge clearly wasn't swayed, however, and on April 6, 2022, Glover was found guilty of first degree manslaughter. He received a sentence of 16 years in prison.

It looks like R. Kelly is going to be in jail for a while. The disgraced R&B singer faced multiple federal and state charges across several trials: per The New York Times, this included 10 counts of aggravated criminal abuse (along with child pornography charges) spanning across Illinois, New York, and Minnesota. Federal prosecutors have accused the star of everything from bribing a government official to marrying a 15-year-old Aaliyah to racketeering.

According to BBC News, Kelly — who's repeatedly maintained his innocence — was denied bail. Variety reports that the singer was held at the Metropolitan Corrections Center in Chicago since July 2019, where he was initially in a "Special Housing Unit" for "at-risk prisoners." His attorney, Steven Greenberg, argued that this was "cruel and unusual punishment," though he reportedly was not in solitary confinement, could access indoor recreation, and even purchased a Snickers bar from the commissary. In fact, per the Chicago Tribune, prosecutors claimed Kelly was the one who refused to go into general population, supposedly saying, "I was like, hmmm, too many people up on you ... I'm so popular here."

Kelly's first criminal trial finished in September 2021 with him being found guilty on nine counts of sex trafficking and racketeering in New York, per USA Today. In 2022, he was convicted in Chicago federal court for child pornography and enticing a minor. His consecutive sentences mean that the singer will be in prison for 31 years altogether.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Michael Jace, who was previously best known for his work on "The Shield," was sentenced to 40 years to life behind bars for the May 2014 shooting death of his wife, April Jace. Convicted of second-degree murder in 2016, per CNN, he reportedly shot April in front of their two young sons because he was furious that she wanted a divorce and believed she was seeing someone else. After shooting her once in the back and twice in the legs, Michael allegedly told her (via Us Weekly), "If you like running, then run to heaven." He then reportedly called police, before ringing April's father to come collect the boys.

This allegedly wasn't Michael's first domestic violence incident: a friend of his first wife told the court that she witnessed him abusing Jennifer Bitterman during their previous marriage. Bitterman herself claimed in court documents that their son was always afraid of his dad.

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

Jonathan Paul Koppenhaver, the ex-MMA fighter who legally changed his name to War Machine, was sentenced to 36 years to life for the brutal 2014 assault of his ex-girlfriend, adult entertainer Christy Mack, and her male friend, Corey Thomas. According to CBS Sports, the former fighter avoided conviction on attempted murder charges, but was found guilty of "29 of 34 charges for kidnapping, battery and sexual assault" in the attack that "left Mack with a punctured lung and several broken bones."

At his June 2017 sentencing, Koppenhaver expressed remorse for his crimes and claimed to have found God while in prison. "Not a day goes by that I don't seriously regret all those things that I did. I was a very, very lost, very empty person," he said, per ESPN, before also claiming "something's not right with my head." Mack also spoke at the sentencing, and she clearly didn't believe Koppenhaver had changed. "I do know when he gets out, he will kill me," she told the judge. Koppenhaver will be eligible for parole when he is 71 years old.

TMZ reported that Koppenhaver surprisingly found love again from behind bars, getting engaged to pen pal-turned-fiancée Ashley Farrington in July 2018.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

Joseph Son is most famous for his role in "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery" as the character Random Task, a parody of the henchman known as Odd Job from the classic James Bond film, Goldfinger. In real life, however, Son's evil deeds were no laughing matter. In 2011, he was convicted of participating in the gang rape and torture of a woman that he and an accomplice reportedly kidnapped and assaulted on Christmas Eve in 1990. According to The Daily Beast, DNA evidence from an unrelated case in 2008 linked Son to the heinous crime, for which he was sentenced to "life with the possibility of parole." As if that wasn't horrific enough, one month after starting his sentence, Son, who is also a former MMA-fighter, beat his cellmate to death with "a combination of kicks and punches."

According to Bakersfield.com, prosecutors sought an additional life sentence for the charge of "assault by a life prisoner with force causing death," but the jury instead found Son guilty of the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter. Upon handing down the additional sentence of 27 years, the judge referred back to the horrific 2011 crime, telling Son, "That crime is as monstrous and despicable as anything this court has ever seen."

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Harvey Weinstein was one of the most powerful producers in Hollywood before a tidal wave of allegations, which had been covered up for years, brought his whole empire crashing down. More than 80 women accused the man behind Miramax of sexual assault or harassment in October 2017, as Newsweek reported, which led to Weinstein being removed from his own company. His accusers included women like Rose McGowan, Mira Sorvino, and Salma Hayek, who revealed that he had threatened and sabotaged their careers afterward. He was first formally arrested in New York in May 2018 and after a lengthy trial, during which Weinstein failed to garner sympathy through his frail appearance and use of a walker, the producer was sentenced to 23 years in prison for third-degree rape and committing a criminal sexual act in the first degree (via The Hollywood Reporter).

But that wasn't the end of Weinstein's legal troubles. Law enforcement in California had him extradited to Los Angeles in 2021 so that he could face additional charges against another woman. An actor known as Jane Doe 1 alleged that he had assaulted her at a film festival in 2013, per AP News, telling the court: "Before that night I was a very happy and confident woman ... There is no prison sentence long enough to undo the damage." Despite pleading innocent, he was sentenced to an additional 16 years in prison. As of this writing, Weinstein is also still facing indecent assault charges in the UK.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Joe Exotic emerged as an outrageous personality on Netflix's documentary series "Tiger King" in 2020, which showed him promoting his Oklahoma exotic animal park and fuelling a bitter rivalry with animal rights activist Carole Baskin. But the big cat entertainer went too far when he tried to hire someone to murder his nemesis.

Exotic had been accused of animal cruelty repeatedly over the years, since the entertainer was feeding his big cats by shooting horses that had been donated and buying expired Walmart meat that was also consumed by his employees. This brought him to Baskin's attention and once she started campaigning against him, Exotic responded with bizarre online videos and public threats. In 2019, an FBI investigation revealed that he had attempted to pay someone to kill Baskin and Exotic ultimately received a sentence of 22 years in prison. "If he completes his sentence and is released, we will end up spending the rest of our lives, constantly looking over our shoulders, for a threat to our lives," Baskin said in a statement (via NBC News). 

Despite his attempts to win a pardon from former president Donald Trump, Exotic remained in prison. In 2021, he was transferred to a federal medical facility to treat his recently diagnosed prostate cancer. And as of 2023, the unlikely celebrity is reportedly not receiving any more treatment for the cancer, which may have spread to his bladder, as he revealed in a letter published by TMZ.

William Hayden became a familiar face on the Discovery Channel's "Sons of Guns" from 2011 to 2014, a reality show about his family-run weapons shop in Louisiana. But during his 2017 trial, an awful truth about Hayden came to light.

As The Advocate reported, he was first arrested for raping a preteen girl in 2014 after his assistant contacted the police. This led to a trial where the now-15-year-old testified that he had preyed on her repeatedly, beginning when she was only 11. She was joined on the stand by a 37-year-old woman who alleged that she had also been a victim of child sexual abuse by Hayden over two decades earlier, at the age of 12. His oldest daughter Stephanie, who had previously appeared with her father on "Sons of Guns," later told Dr. Phil that he had sexually abused her as well, which led to another sex crime charge.

At the end of his trial, Hayden was found guilty of aggravated rape and forcible rape so he was sentenced to two simultaneous life sentences plus another 40 years in prison, ensuring that he would be spending the rest of his years in jail (via The Advocate). He later received a third life sentence in July 2017, which the assistant district attorney declared, per WAFB, would "satisfy our obligation to the public for public safety to make sure that this defendant stays in jail for the rest of his life."

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.

Canadian rapper Tory Lanez torpedoed his budding career in July 2020 by shooting Megan Thee Stallion twice after they attended a party together. The "WAP" rapper later wrote about the incident for The New York Times, comparing it to other acts of violence against Black women in America. "Truthfully, I was shocked that I ended up in that place," she wrote, recalling that Lanez shot at her while she was walking away from the car. Megan also told GQ that he had offered her money to keep her mouth closed about the incident.

Lanez denied shooting Megan and insisted that she was lying in order to hurt him, even mentioning the situation in his music. "How the f**k you get shot in your foot, don't hit no bones or tendons," he asked on the song "Money Over Fallouts." According to Megan's emotional testimonial in court (via People), he also got other male rappers to believe him and slander her. "Every man in a position of power in the music industry has taken his side," she admitted on the stand. "Not a day goes by without being called a liar." But Lanez's defense didn't hold up in court. According to The New York Times, he was ultimately found guilty of three felony charges in December 2022, before being whisked off to jail: assault with a semiautomatic handgun, having a loaded and unregistered firearm in a vehicle, and gross negligence in discharging his firearm.

Amy Locane became entangled with the law after a fatal drink-driving accident in 2010. Best known for the John Waters film "Cry-Baby" and the soap "Melrose Place," the actor was driving around Montgomery, New Jersey, when she hit a car while speeding at 53 miles per hour. The passenger, a 60-year-old mother of two called Helene Seeman, died on the scene and her husband Fred Seeman was airlifted to hospital. According to NJ.com, she had already been involved in a minor collision earlier that night and when the police took her in, Locane confessed that she had been drinking. Her blood alcohol level was tested and turned out to be almost three times over the legal maximum.

During her trial for second-degree vehicular homicide and third-degree assault by auto, her lawyers fought for a lighter sentence due to her young children and she ended up only serving three years in prison. Helene's family insisted that the sentence had been too forgiving. "My son is about to have a granddaughter and my wife will never be able to hold her," argued Fred, per NJ.com. "This has to stop. People can't drink and drive." And it seems like the law agreed with him: after a series of appeals, Locane received a new sentence of eight years in 2020. The New Jersey native couldn't overturn the decision and went back to jail for the second time.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Jen Shah became one of the most notorious women in "The Real Housewives" franchise when she was exposed as a fraudster who had taken advantage of the elderly and defrauded them of their savings through a telemarketing scheme.

The star of "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" had garnered outrage before her trial by releasing "Free Jen" or "Justice for Jen" merchandise and creating a new tagline for her second season: "The only thing I'm guilty of is being Shah-mazing." These decisions looked fairly tactless when the details of her scheme started coming out in court: the US Attorney's office formally accused Shah of conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering through a ring that she was heavily involved with since 2012.

In 2022, she pled guilty. Shah asked the judge for a reduced sentence in a letter published by CNN, arguing that her criminal activity "stemmed from some personal painful experiences that I was going through in my life." The court eventually decided in January 2023 that she would spend six and a half years in prison and pay over $6 million to her victims. "With today's sentence, Jennifer Shah finally faces the consequences of the many years she spent targeting vulnerable, elderly victims," the prosecution said in a statement. She reported to prison in February 2023.

The real estate mogul Todd Chrisley and his wife Julie Chrisley became famous on the USA Network show "Chrisley Knows Best," where their family showed off their expensive lifestyle. As it turned out, the Chrisleys had actually been paying for their luxurious surroundings by committing fraud and conning banks into giving them loans.

The reality stars were indicted over their tax evasion during the seventh season in August 2019, which led to a series of federal charges. As Insider reported, their accountant, Peter Tarantino, was also put on trial and ended up with a sentence of three years in prison for assisting them and faking tax returns. In November 2022, Todd and Julie found out their own respective fates: Todd will be in prison for 12 years and Julie has been sentenced to seven years. As Deadline reported, an FBI spokesperson stated that "when you lie, cheat and steal, justice is blind as to your fame, your fortune, and your position."

After they received their sentences, the next season of "Chrisley Knows Best" and their children's spin-off "Growing Up Chrisley" were both canceled. They reported to prison in January 2023 and are planning to appeal their case, as of this writing, per People.

The Duggars gained notoriety as a massive family of devout Christians headed by parents Michelle and Jim Bob on the reality TV show "19 Kids And Counting." But the show was taken off the air in 2015 after it turned out that eldest son Josh Duggar had been accused of sexually assaulting multiple underage girls as a teenager, including two of his own sisters.

In 2021, Josh became even more hated when he was arrested and brought into federal court for owning images of children being sexually abused, per Reuters. Josh, who has seven children of his own, wasn't allowed to live with them while out on bail, according to E! News. During his hearing, a special agent for Homeland Security Investigations who reviewed the material on his work computer claimed that it was "in the top five of the worst of the worst that I've ever had to examine."

In May 2022, a judge sentenced Josh to over 12 years in federal prison and fined him over $50,000, as NBC reported. His legal team has since tried to appeal the decision. "As parents, we will never stop praying for Joshua, and loving him, as we do all of our children," his parents promised in a statement. "In each of life's circumstances, we place our trust in God."

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.

Years after his career in the NFL as a New England Patriot and an Indianapolis Colt ended, Eric Naposki was convicted of a murder that had been unsolved for 15 years.

The football player, who also spent time in the World League of American Football, had been having an affair with a woman called Nanette Johnston (also known as Nanette Packard). She was living with the millionaire investor William McLaughlin at the time. When McLaughlin was found dead from a gunshot wound at his Newport Bay house in 1994, the couple wasn't charged with his murder or conspiring to take him out, even though the money from his life insurance gave Johnson a motive.

But in 2009, investigators dug up the case and Naposki's fate was sealed when he lied to police and denied having the type of handgun that killed McLaughlin, even though he did own one. "I just didn't want to talk about it because, if I wasn't at the scene, and I wasn't in Newport, then I couldn't have killed the guy even if I had a bazooka," he later explained to ABC News. He was found guilty in 2011 and sentenced to life without any chance of parole, the same fate that Johnson later received. Despite this outcome, the pair both insist that they are innocent. "I didn't kill anybody. I'm not a killer," Naposki claimed in 2021, speaking from Avenal State Prison in California.

Ryan Grantham, an actor known for his roles in "Riverdale" and "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," made headlines in 2020 for committing a shocking murder. In his Canadian family home on March 31, the former child actor shot his mother from behind while she was playing piano. Before driving away from the scene of the crime, Grantham filmed a video explaining that he had killed his 64-year-old mother. The 21-year-old turned himself in the following day and was taken to jail on 1 April.

He later confessed that he had been planning a different course of action: Grantham had initially decided to assassinate the Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and then later plotted a mass shooting at his nearby alma mater Simon Fraser University. In the end, the actor reportedly decided to murder his mother in order to spare her from the repercussions of this violent spree he was planning.

"The psychiatrists agreed that at the time of this horrendous event he was suffering from a major depressive disorder and a cannabis use disorder, among other things," his lawyer told The Hollywood Reporter. Despite these claims about his mental health, the former actor was sentenced to life in prison in 2022 after being found guilty of second-degree murder. He will not be eligible for parole until he has served at least 14 years in prison.

Darren Sharper's impressive career in the NFL lasted 14 series before he retired in 2010. But after the former Green Bay Packer and five-time Pro Bowl selection stopped playing football, disturbing allegations started emerging and he was charged with rape in California in 2014. He was quickly fired from his role as an analyst for the NFL Network after the initial arrest. Charges related to different women followed in Louisiana, Arizona, Nevada, and federal court, revealing that Sharper had been drugging and sexually assaulting multiple women across the country during the previous years.

The serial rapist pleaded guilty in court and was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison altogether for his crimes against at least nine women, although a New Orleans judge stated there might have been as many as 16 different victims. "I would like to apologize a thousand times," Sharper stated in court, per AP News, adding: "I'm still trying to figure out why I made some of these choices." His conviction also led to the arrest of his two accomplices, a former waiter called Erik Nunez and a deputy sheriff Brandon Licciardi who received a ten-year sentence and a 17-year sentence respectively for assisting him in drugging and raping women.

His plea deal means that Sharper will be eligible for parole in 2024, according to the New Orleans District Attorney, although an appeal to shorten his sentence was thrown out of court in 2019.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Shannon Richardson secured herself a place in jail when it was revealed that the actor was behind one of the most surreal crimes of 2013. In an effort to frame her husband Nathaniel, who had filed for divorce in 2013 while she was pregnant with their child, the Texan sent envelopes containing toxic ricin to then-president Barack Obama, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, and pro-gun control groups. "You will have to kill me and my family before you get my guns. The right to bear arms is my constitutional God-given right. What's in this letter is nothing compared to what I've got planned for you," she wrote in the letters, according to CNN.

Nobody was harmed by the substance cooked up by the actor, who had featured on shows like "The Walking Dead" and "The Vampire Diaries." And although Richardson initially told FBI agents that her husband was behind the whole scheme, computer records quickly showed that he had been at work when the letters were printed and that she had ordered the ingredients through his account. Richardson is due for release in 2028, having been sentenced to 18 years in prison and fines of $367,000. Although she argued that her sentence should be decreased due to her lawyer's shortcomings, a judge denied her claim and pointed out that she was lucky to avoid terrorism charges.

After being convicted of raping two women, Danny Masterson was sentenced to 30 years in prison on September 7. Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo judge gave the "That 70s Show" actor the maximum sentence of 15 years for both counts of rape. Originally, the defense had requested the sentences to run concurrently, but Olmedo decided to have Masterson serve them consecutively. "Your actions 20 years ago took away another person's voice, and choice," the judge said at the sentencing, per the Associated Press. Masterson also faced a rape charge from a third woman — a former girlfriend — but the jury was deadlocked on that count.

All three women were members of the Church of Scientology when the attacks took place in the early 2000s, and claimed that when they told church officials about Masterson's actions they were shunned and harassed by the church. One victim, identified as Jen B., said the church even turned her mother against her. "She texted me and told me to never contact her again," Jen B. said, per the Los Angeles Times. "I have been terrorized, harassed and had my privacy invaded daily by the cult of Scientology for almost 7 years now," the other victim, identified as N. Trout, said. The church denied those claims.

Masterson's wife Bijou Phillips was present and tearful during the sentencing. Less than two weeks later, Phillips filed for divorce on September 19 seeking full custody of their daughter and spousal support.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).