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» George Michael Disputes His Sentencing:
Singer Said Judge Changed Terms Of His Community Service « Channel 2000, CBS 2, 23 November 1998 |
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LOS ANGELES, Posted 7:56 p.m. November 23, 1998 -- Singer George Michael said today he will ask a judge to reconsider and allow him to do his court-ordered community service at an organization that delivers meals to people who are HIV-positive or have AIDS. Michael, 35, was sentence to 80 hours of community service after pleading no contest in May to charges of committing a lewd act alone in a park restroom. According to CBS 2 News, Michael said Municipal Court Judge Charles Rubin changed the terms of his sentencing and now want him to phone schools to encourage students to do charity work. Michael said people with AIDS need more help. Today he visited Project Angel Food in Los Angeles, where Michael reportedly said he has been an anonymous donor for years. "If he would think of reconsidering his position, I would work here at Project Angel Food for as many hours as he sees fit, not just the 80 hours that I've been given," Michael said, reading from a written statement before reporters. "Judge Rubin, I remain at your mercy. But whatever you think of me or my behavior, please, please do not let this unusual opportunity for good go to waste." CBS 2 News reports the judge has not responded to Michael's request, or said why he changed the sentencing. Michael said he is "fully aware that, in all likelihood, I have prompted (the judge's) sudden change of heart by my own actions." In a recent video, the singer made light of his arrest, and has talked openly about police entrapment, a wire service reports. In addition to ordering community service, Rubin banned Michael from Will Rogers Memorial Park and ordered him to undergo sexual counseling. Police said Michael, whose real name is Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, was arrested at the park across from the Beverly Hills Hotel just before 3 p.m. on April 7, after a plainclothes officer saw him masturbate and expose his buttocks in a men's restroom, a wire service reports. Michael and his band Wham! burst onto the pop scene in 1983, but the group broke up three years later. His hits include "Faith" and "I Want Your Sex." |
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» George Michael Pleads No Contest:
Singer Fined, Banned From Park « Channel 2000, CBS 2, by Erik Nelson, 14 May 1998 |
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BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Posted 2:35 p.m. May 14, 1998 -- British pop singer George Michael pleaded no contest Thursday to committing a lewd act alone in a park restroom. Michael was fined $810, banned from the park, and ordered to undergo psychological counseling and to perform 80 hours of community service, reported CBS 2 News. Michael's attorney, Ira Reiner, entered the plea for Michael, who was charged with a single misdemeanor count of lewd conduct, said The Associated Press. No contest is an admission of guilt that cannot be used against a defendant in a civil proceeding. Michael did not attend the arraignment at Beverly Hills Municipal Court because he was in England, according to CBS 2 News. |
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| In exchange for the plea, Judge Charles Rubin banned Michael from Will Rogers Memorial Park (pictured, left), where the singer was arrested last month, said AP. He also ordered Michael to pay an additional $100 to a victim's restitution fund and to undergo five hour-long sexual counseling sessions by July 31. "The court is concerned he not get into this situation again," Rubin said, according to AP. "Please let him know that if he violates probation with the same or similar conduct, it will be county jail for sure." The singer, whose real name is Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, was arrested April 7 when an undercover officer allegedly saw him commit a lewd act alone in a restroom at the park, reported City News Service. The park is across the street from the Beverly Hills Hotel on Sunset Boulevard. Michael, 34, paid $500 bail and was released later that night, said CNS. He acknowledged later that he is gay and said he was embarrassed by the arrest. He told CNN, "I won't even say it's the first time it's happened." Michael and his band Wham! burst onto the pop scene in 1983, but the group broke up three years later. His hits include "Faith" and "I Want Your Sex." |
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» George Michael: Arraignment Postponed:
Pop Star Faces Misdemeanor Charge For Beverly Hills Arrest « Channel 2000, CBS 2, 5 May 1998 |
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BEVERLY HILLS, Updated 5:48 p.m. May 05, 1998 -- British pop star George Michael's arraignment on a charge of lewd conduct -- originally set for today -- has been postponed until May 15. According to The Associated Press, Michael's lawyer, Ira Reiner, today told Municipal Court Judge Charles Rubin that he needed more time to review the case. Michael, 34, did not attend the brief court hearing, said the wire service. The charge stems from an April 7 arrest at Will Rogers Park in Beverly Hills, said CBS 2 News. Police said Michael was arrested after a plainclothes officer, part of a contingent assigned to the park in response to complaints about lewd conduct in the men's restroom, saw him masturbate and expose his buttocks, according to City News Service. The singer did not have to appear in Beverly Hills Municipal Court for the proceeding because the charge is a misdemeanor, said CBS 2 News. Michael faces up to six months in county jail if convicted in the case, which was filed under his real name: Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, said CNS. After his arrest, Michael spoke out about the incident in a candid TV interview, said CNS. The singer said that he is gay, that he was embarrassed by the arrest, but that he would not go into hiding. Michael burst onto the pop scene in the pop group Wham! in 1983. The group, which had a string of hits, broke up three years later. Michael then went solo. His hits include "I Want Your Sex" and "Faith." |
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» George Michael Charged With Lewd Conduct:
Charge Carries Maximum Six Months In Jail & $1,000 Fine « Channel 2000, CBS 2, 16 April 1998 |
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BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Posted 11:15 a.m. April 16, 1998 -- Pop star George Michael, arrested last week in a restroom at Will Rogers Park, was charged today with lewd conduct. The British-born heartthrob, whose hit songs include "I Want Your Sex" and "Faith," was charged with a single misdemeanor that carries a maximum six months in jail and $1,000 fine upon conviction, Deputy District Attorney Ellen Aragon said. But the standard penalty for a first-time offender is one to two years probation, a $250 fine or community service and an order to stay away from the park restroom, the prosecutor said. A misdemeanor indecent exposure charge was considered but rejected, she said. Michael was ordered to appear in court May 5, but he can be represented by an attorney and isn't required to personally show up. His lawyer, Arthur Barens, didn't immediately return telephone calls placed to his office today. The 34-year-old singer was alone in a restroom in Will Rogers Park when an undercover officer saw him commit the lewd act on April 7, police Lt. Edward Kreins said. Details of the act weren't disclosed. The park is on Sunset Boulevard across from the Beverly Hills Hotel. Michael was handcuffed, taken to the police station and booked for investigation of misdemeanor lewd conduct. He was released on $500 bail. Days later in his first public comments on the arrest, Michael told CNN, "I won't even say it's the first time it's happened." "I put myself in an extremely stupid and vulnerable position, especially because I'm in the privileged position that I am," he said. "I've put myself in that position before." Michael also described his sexuality as "ambiguous." "This is as good of a time as any," he said. "I want to say that I have no problem with people knowing that I'm in a relationship with a man right now. I have not been in a relationship with a woman for almost 10 years." |
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» George Michael Arrested In Beverly Hills:
Singer Arrested For Lewd Conduct, Police Say « Channel 2000, CBS 2, by Jenni Taylor, 8 April 1998 |
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BEVERLY HILLS, Updated 10:30 a.m. April 08, 1998 -- British singer George Michael has been arrested by police in Beverly Hills for investigation of engaging in a lewd act. The pop star was arrested yesterday afternoon at the Will Rogers Memorial Park, police said. Michael was alone when he was arrested by an undercover officer in a park restroom around 4:48 p.m., said Beverly Hills police Lt. Ed Kreins at a news conference this morning. The officer witnessed the act. Kreins would not give any specifics about the nature of the lewd act. Michael was booked for investigation of misdemeanor lewd conduct and was released around 8 p.m. after posting $500 bail, said Kreins. He's scheduled to appear in Beverly Hills Municipal Court May 5. Michael, 34, gained fame in the 1980s as a member of the group "Wham." The group's hits included "Bad Boys," "Freedom," "Everything She Wants" and "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go." The group split in 1986 and Michael became a solo artist. His first solo album, "Faith," topped the charts and sold more than 10 million copies. Michael's next album came three years later and was titled "Listen Without Prejudice." |