From Hollywood stars to music icons, some famous faces have traded red carpets for prison cells. Join WatchMojo as we explore the most notorious celebrities currently behind bars. We'll delve into their crimes, sentences, and the shocking fall from grace that landed them in prison. Which case surprised you the most?
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00:00A court in Los Angeles has sentenced Harvey Weinstein to 16 more years in prison.
00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're examining the most infamous and widely known celebrities who,
00:12at the time of this video's publication, are incarcerated in jail.
00:17We do begin tonight with singer R. Kelly, sentenced to 30 years behind bars.
00:22Kid Creole. After rising to fame as a member of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
00:29Nathaniel Glover, better known as Kid Creole,
00:32stepped away from the music business as the group's success faltered.
00:40In 2017, then working as a handyman in Manhattan, New York City,
00:45Creole spoke to an unhoused man named John Jolly.
00:53First spotted on CCTV, the duo then moved out of view.
00:57At this point, Creole fatally stabbed Jolly.
01:00The former musician claimed he stabbed him after Jolly made advances towards him.
01:06However, the criminal system didn't agree with his claim of self-defense.
01:10In 2022, Creole was found guilty of first-degree manslaughter and received 16 years in jail.
01:18Upon release, he'll undergo a further five years of supervision.
01:23Mel Hall. For over a decade,
01:25Hall played his trade for several MLB teams,
01:29such as the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, and the New York Yankees.
01:42He even played in Japan before hanging up his bat in 1996.
01:46However, none of that mattered in 2007, when he was arrested in Louisville, Texas for sexual
01:52assault. Over time, more women came forward with their experiences with Hall,
01:57which were committed when they were minors. In one case, Hall integrated himself into a
02:04family's home on the promise he wanted to marry their daughter. He had used his sporting celebrity
02:17to prey on victims. In 2009, Hall was found guilty on several counts and was sentenced to 45
02:24years in jail. C-Murder.
02:28As a member of the hip-hop group True, Corey Miller, better known as C-Murder,
02:33enjoyed success with them as well as releasing his own work. In the 90s especially, his albums
02:45were regularly high on the charts. However, in 2002, all that vanished when C-Murder was
02:52arrested for the killing of a teenager named Steve Thomas. On top of receiving a 10-year
02:58sentence for a separate attempted murder charge, in 2009, the musician was found guilty of Thomas'
03:04killing and sentenced to life. C-Murder had contested the charge and has appealed unsuccessfully
03:11several times over the years. In 2018, two witnesses recanted their testimonies and claimed
03:17they had been forced to give them by the police. In an affidavit, Kenneth Jordan said Jefferson
03:23Parish deputies pressured him to lie by holding an unrelated charge over his head. However,
03:29in 2023, C-Murder's sentence was upheld by a judge.
03:34Tammy Lynn Sitch. In her heyday, there wasn't a more famous woman in professional wrestling
03:40than Sitch. Known as Sunny in the WWE in 1996, the wrestling manager became the most downloaded
03:47celebrity online. In 2011, Sitch was rewarded for her legacy by the WWE by being inducted into their
03:55Hall of Fame. However, away from the ring, Sitch has regularly had run-ins with the legal system.
04:11It got significantly worse in 2022. While driving under the influence in Volusia County, Florida,
04:18Sitch crashed into the back of another car, taking the life of the driver, Julian Lasseter.
04:24Police say Sitch was four times the legal limit. Prosecutors say this was her fourth DUI in 10
04:30years, and she was driving on a suspended license. In 2023, after pleading no contest,
04:37Sitch was sentenced to 17 and a half years in jail. Afterward, she'll undergo eight years
04:43of probation. I know how it feels, how it hurts, how it tears your heart out.
04:50And for that, I'm truly, truly sorry.
04:55Todd and Julie Chrisley. After the success of 2014's reality show Chrisley Knows Best,
05:01the family began spawning a media empire with several spinoff shows.
05:06But not long after the reign began, it started to fall apart.
05:11Start packing fast. Why? Do you have any idea how many charges are going to be brought against us
05:16for putting something like that, that dumb, out in the streets?
05:18After being indicted on several charges earlier, in 2022, Todd and Julie found themselves in court
05:25over allegations of bank fraud and tax evasion. In one accusation, the duo had seemingly given
05:31banks false documents when applying for loans worth over $30 million.
05:37Here are individuals that have lived this lavish lifestyle in the public eye and are still lying
05:44and stealing to get it. The husband and wife team, alongside their accountant,
05:48Peter Tarantino, were found guilty. And it was heartbreaking. And if I say something,
05:54you mark it in your book because it'll be the truth. So I welcome that lawsuit.
05:59Todd got 12 years, Julie received seven, and Tarantino went down for three. In 2024,
06:07after an appeal, Julie is set to be resentenced for her role while she's in the custody of U.S.
06:13Marshals. Tory Lanez
06:16Bursting onto the music scene in 2016, Daystar's Shamuel Shua Peterson, better known as Tory
06:22Lanez, was carving out a successful career as a singer and rapper with a string of top-selling
06:28albums and singles. However, in 2020, Lanez was arrested in Los Angeles, California for carrying
06:39a concealed weapon after violence took place at a house party. Soon after, Megan Thee Stallion
06:45publicly stated he had shot her multiple times. While Lanez denied the accusation,
06:56even releasing an album nearly entirely about the allegations and allegedly endorsing a smear
07:02campaign against Megan, he was still arrested. In 2023, after the Canadian was found guilty on
07:08several counts, he was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. Jen Shah
07:14From the first season of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City in 2020, Shah highlighted
07:20her lifestyle and marriage to the University of Utah's football coach, Sharif Shah. Yet,
07:30in the space of a year, her growing reputation in reality TV became infamous for all the wrong
07:36reasons. Even recorded during the show, Shah was accused of money laundering and wire fraud,
07:42which she was arrested for. Shah allegedly targeted elderly and vulnerable people,
07:54claiming to offer business services in exchange for hefty fees. In 2023, after pleading guilty
08:00to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, Shah was sentenced to 6.5 years in jail. However, due to
08:14being a model prisoner, her sentence has been reduced multiple times. Ryan Grantham
08:20Following his first screen acting role in 2007, Grantham should have had a long career in the
08:26industry, especially after performances in Supernatural, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, I,
08:31Zombie and Riverdale. However, that career was forever broken in 2020. Grantham, with a desire
08:43to attack Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, fatally shot his own mother in Squamish, British
08:49Columbia, to apparently spare her from seeing his planned assassination. He then recorded his
08:56confession. On his way to Trudeau, in a car filled with weapons, Grantham changed his mind,
09:01eventually giving himself to the police. In 2022, the former actor pleaded guilty to his crime
09:15and was sentenced to life in prison, with possible parole, after 14 years.
09:21Amy Locane Known for her work in the sitcoms
09:25Spencer and the soap opera Melrose Place, Locane took on various film roles in the 90s.
09:31However, by 2005, she retired from screen acting beyond a couple of short films.
09:47In 2010, any hopes of a comeback vanished when Locane was arrested after speeding
09:53and driving under the influence, resulting in her crashing and taking the life of Helene Seaman.
10:01In 2013, she was sentenced to three years and was released in 2015.
10:18However, the outrage over the lenient sentence resulted in appeals,
10:23leading to Locane being sentenced to five years in 2019. After she appealed,
10:28she was resentenced to eight years in 2020 and is due to be released on parole at the end of 2024.
10:48Ian Watkins Like many of us,
10:51if you were a teenage emo in the early 2000s, then you likely listened to Welsh band Lost Prophets.
10:59However, those CDs were quickly disposed of in 2012. After several arrests that year for
11:08possessing illegal substances, a search was conducted at lead singer Watkins' home by the
11:13police. They discovered obscene content on his computer involving minors, and later,
11:19there was evidence he had assaulted some.
11:22There is no doubt in my mind that Ian Watkins has exploited a celebrity status.
11:27Any hope by fans that the officials were mistaken was dashed in 2013
11:32when Watkins pleaded guilty to several counts. He was sentenced to 29 years in jail,
11:37plus an additional 10 months for possessing a phone in his cell.
11:41The mothers of his two victims received 14 and 17 years for aiding him.
11:46They can't be named to protect their children's identities.
11:50Gary Glitter With sparkly costumes and big hair,
11:54Glitter was one of the faces of the glam rock genre of music, providing him with a string of hits.
12:07Yet his legendary status was destroyed when he was sentenced to jail for possessing
12:12indecent material of minors in 1999.
12:19After his release, Glitter travelled around the world.
12:28In 2006, he was convicted in Vietnam for assaulting youth.
12:33After his release, he reluctantly returned to the UK.
12:36In 2015, as part of Operation U-Tree, Glitter was found guilty of historical
12:42cases of assault against minors and sentenced to 16 years.
12:46In court, he is referred to by his real name, Paul Gadd,
12:50but the judge told the jury you almost certainly know him better as Gary Glitter.
12:55While he was released in 2023, Glitter broke his license terms after allegedly
13:00looking at offensive material on his phone and was recalled to jail.
13:05Michael Jace Best known for his work as
13:08Officer Julian Lowe in The Shield, in a minor role in Forrest Gump,
13:13Jace's life was set to change in 2014 when his wife April requested a divorce.
13:20Rather than accept her decision, Jace fatally shot her at their home in Los Angeles, California,
13:26when she returned after collecting their kids from baseball practice.
13:36He planned to injure her and even taunted April over her passion for running during the attack.
13:41But instead, Jace took her life. Shortly after, he called 911 to tell them what he'd done.
13:56In 2016, the disgraced actor was found guilty and sentenced to 40 years to life in jail.
14:03Suge Knight As the co-founder of Death Row Records,
14:07Suge Knight played a significant role in shaping the West Coast hip-hop scene.
14:11But just as his influence grew, so did his run-ins with the law.
14:16In 2015, while on the set of the NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton,
14:22Knight got into an altercation with two men, Terry Carter and Cle Bones Sloan.
14:32He is alleged to have run over both of them with a pickup truck,
14:35killing Carter and leaving Sloan with severe injuries.
14:39Authorities initially charged Knight with murder and attempted murder,
14:43but he later pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter. In 2018, he was handed a 28-year
14:50prison term and will be eligible for parole in 2034. Joe Exotic
15:03Controversial zookeeper and businessman Joe Exotic gained international recognition
15:08when he was featured in the wildly popular Netflix series Tiger King. Among other things,
15:13the show depicted the intense rivalry between Exotic and animal rights activist Carole Baskin.
15:19The relationship between the two was so strained that Exotic reportedly paid hitmen to have Baskin
15:25murdered. Additionally, he was accused of killing five tigers and selling others across state lines.
15:33A federal jury returned guilty verdicts on 17 charges of animal cruelty
15:41and two counts of attempted murder for hire. Exotic was sentenced to 22 years in prison.
15:52After appealing his conviction, his sentence was reduced by just one year.
16:02Danny Masterson That 70's show actor Danny
16:06Masterson had faced sexual assault allegations since March 2017, with the incidents dating as
16:12far back as the early 2000s. Masterson denied the claims, but was dropped by his agency and
16:19fired from the Netflix sitcom The Ranch. Just like Masterson, some of his alleged victims were also
16:26members of the Church of Scientology, and they reported being harassed by the institution after
16:31coming forward. Masterson's first court case ended in a mistrial, but in May 2023,
16:44a second jury found him guilty of two of the three criminal counts he was facing.
16:48In September, he was sentenced to 30 years to life behind bars.
16:53In his new trial, after the guilty verdicts came in, Masterson was immediately handcuffed
16:58and sent to jail. Elizabeth Holmes
17:01The healthcare technology company Theranos was founded in 2003 by Elizabeth Holmes with the
17:07promise of revolutionizing blood testing. Holmes raised nearly a billion dollars from
17:17investors on claims that her seemingly exceptional machine, the Edison,
17:22could run multiple tests using only a few drops of blood.
17:26It was later revealed, however, that Theranos' technology did not work as claimed,
17:31and the company knowingly defrauded investors. In June 2018, Holmes was charged with multiple
17:38counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Following a highly publicized trial,
17:49Holmes was found guilty of four criminal counts and was sentenced to over 11 years in prison.
17:54She began serving her term in May of 2023. Josh Duggar
18:07The TLC reality series, 19 Kids and Counting, focused on the lives of Michelle and Jim Bob
18:13Duggar and, as the title suggests, their 19 children. The show was a huge success until
18:20its abrupt cancellation in 2015 following some pretty shocking revelations. The eldest child,
18:32Josh Duggar, admitted to inappropriate behavior against underage individuals, including some of
18:38his own sisters. However, as the statute of limitations had passed, Duggar didn't face any
18:45criminal charges. In 2021, Duggar was arrested for receiving and possessing explicit material
18:56involving minors. He opted to fight the charges in court and was ultimately found guilty. With a
19:02nearly 13-year prison sentence handed down on him, Duggar's earliest possible release date
19:08is 2032. Jared Fogle
19:16For 15 years, Jared Fogle was the face of restaurant chain Subway. Fogle claimed that
19:22a diet consisting mostly of Subway sandwiches had helped him lose nearly 250 pounds in one year.
19:30In 2015, however, his partnership with the franchise came to an end. That year,
19:36Fogle's home was raided by the FBI, where they uncovered evidence that he had distributed and
19:41received obscene images and videos of minors. He also admitted to traveling across state lines
19:52to engage in unlawful conduct with an underage individual. Fogle faced a possible 50 years in
19:58prison, but after accepting a plea deal, he was sentenced to 15 years and 8 months. He is eligible
20:05for early release in 2029. R. Kelly
20:14Throughout most of his career, disgraced R&B star R. Kelly had been dogged by numerous
20:20allegations of sexual misconduct. The claims first came to light in 2002, when Kelly was
20:33after a leaked video seemingly showed him engaging in inappropriate contact with a minor. He was,
20:40however, acquitted of those charges in 2008. It would take more than a decade for his day
20:45of reckoning to eventually come. In 2019, the Lifetime docuseries,
20:53Surviving R. Kelly, which featured testimonies from some of his accusers, brought the case back
20:58to the spotlight. Kelly was arrested soon after and faced multiple federal and state criminal
21:03charges. Altogether, he is serving a 31-year sentence, with a release scheduled for December
21:112045. Harvey Weinstein
21:37Harvey Weinstein's Hollywood empire crumbled in 2017 when The New York Times and The New Yorker
21:43revealed numerous allegations of sexual harassment and assault against him. The revelations ignited
21:55the Me Too movement, which saw many individuals come forward with their own experiences of
22:00misconduct. In total, more than 100 women accused Weinstein of either harassing or
22:06assaulting them, with some dating as far back as 1980. As a result, multiple criminal charges
22:20were unveiled against the producer in New York and Los Angeles. In 2020, he was sentenced to 23
22:27years in the New York case, followed by a 16-year sentence in the Los Angeles case the next year.
22:33However, the New York conviction was overturned and he will face a retrial on those charges.
22:47Which celebrity case of them getting a lenient sentence was the most egregious for you?
22:52Nicole Richie, Vince Neil, Matthew Broderick, or someone else? Let us know below.
23:22And don't forget to subscribe to our channel for more videos like this!