Chris Brown Rejects Plea Deal in D.C. Assault Case
Get all the details from the singer's most recent court date.
— -- Dozens of young fans lined up inside and outside a Washington, D.C., courtroom today to catch a glimpse of singer Chris Brown, who rejected a plea deal in the assault case against him.
The plea deal would have allowed Brown, 25, to avoid more jail time, having already served four months in connection with the case.
Brown was arrested outside of a Washington hotel last October and charged with misdemeanor assault for allegedly hitting a fan who jumped into a photo with Brown and two women.
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The plea deal expired at noon Wednesday without Brown’s signature, prosecutors told a judge. Brown’s defense attorney, Mark Geragos, said language used in a document Brown would have to sign as part of a deal, which described what happened that night, was incorrect.
“They wanted him (Brown) to read from a script that wasn’t true,” Geragos told reporters outside the courthouse after the hearing. Geragos wouldn’t say exactly what information in the document he was referencing.
Geragos said the fact that the plea deal did not include additional jail time for Brown “ought to tell you what this case is worth,” noting that the misdemeanor case has already cost taxpayers thousands of dollars to prosecute.
Taking a swipe at authorities in Washington, he said they “have real crime to prosecute, rather than this phantom crime.”
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It’s still unclear whether Brown’s bodyguard, Christopher Hollosy, will have to testify against him. Hollosy has already been convicted in the assault, but he will not be sentenced until November.
In court, Judge Patricia Wynn suggested she’s hopeful a plea deal can be reached before Brown’s trial, which is scheduled for Sept. 8.
Brown was still on probation for his 2009 attack on then-girlfriend and fellow singer Rihanna when he was arrested in October.
According to the Associated Press, transportation and hotel costs associated with prosecuting the Washington case total more than $4,000.