Beanie Sigel guilty of simple assault

Beanie Sigel, the rapper who has sold hundreds of thousands of records glamorizing a criminal lifestyle, was convicted of assault Tuesday for a fight in 2003. Sigel, born Dwight Grant, did not dispute the prosecutor's version of events and was convicted of misdemeanor simple assault. He was sentenced to two years' probation plus $180 (Ђ150) in court costs.

The charges stem from an argument between Sigel and a man who said the rapper punched him in both eyes, breaking his left eye socket, during a January 2003 argument outside a Chinese restaurant. The case was the last in a series of criminal charges against Sigel, who has an arrest record dating to his days growing up in South Philadelphia. With the cases behind him, Sigel now plans to "make music, make movies and work on his clothing line," said his attorney, Fortunato N. Perri Jr. In September, a jury acquitted him of charges that he nearly shot to death a man on a crowded city street two years ago. In August, Sigel left federal prison after serving nearly a year on a federal weapons charge that stemmed from a 2002 traffic stop in Philadelphia. Sigel also has fallen behind in child-support payments. He was briefly jailed in November until he paid $27,000 (Ђ22,400) in child support and $2,000 (Ђ1,658) in fines. He was due in family court later Tuesday because he again owes child-support money. Sigel's three albums, "The Truth" in 2000, "The Reason" in 2001 and last year's "The B. Coming", each hit the top five on the Billboard album chart. Many of Sigel's songs depict guns, drugs and violence. He also has his own clothing line and starred in the movie "State Property" and its sequel, reports the AP. N.U.