Names and faces

Friday, January 10, 2014

Lawyers for singer Chris Brown told a judge Wednesday that he has rejected a plea deal on a charge that he hit a man outside a Washington hotel. Prosecutors had offered a deal in which Brown would plead guilty to the misdemeanor assault charge he faces. One of Brown’s lawyers, Danny Onorato, said outside of court that attorneys rejected the deal because Brown is innocent. Brown’s lawyers said in court that they expect a trial date to be set at another hearing, scheduled for Feb. 20. Brown wore a charcoal three-piece suit and had dark hair, not the bleached blond hair he had sported when he was arrested in October along with his bodyguard, Christopher Hollosy, who also faces an assault charge. The R&B singer was arrested after a man said the singer struck him outside the Washington Hotel when he tried to get in a picture Brown was taking with two other people. Hollosy is also accused of striking the man, and his lawyer says he rejected the same deal that Brown was offered. At the time Brown was charged in Washington, the Grammy winner was on probation in California for a 2009 attack on singer Rihanna, his then-girlfriend.

The Insane Clown Posse sued the U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday over a 2011 FBI report that describes the rap-metal duo’s devoted fans, the Juggalos, as a dangerous gang, saying the designation has tarnished reputations and hurt business. The American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit in Detroit federal court on behalf of the group’s two members, Joseph Bruce, or Violent J, and Joseph Utsler, or Shaggy 2 Dope. It also names four fans as plaintiffs. The FBI report on criminal gangs labeled the Juggalos as a “loosely organized hybrid gang.” It said those who identify as Juggalos have committed assaults and vandalism, and a “small number” of them have engaged in more serious crimes. The lawsuit contends that the gang designation violates free speech and due process rights. At a news conference in Detroit, Bruce, 41, and Utsler, 39, wore their trademark face paint. The Detroit-area pair said Juggalos are like a family, not a gang, and they want their fans purged from the report.

Front Section, Pages 2 on 01/10/2014