Azealia Banks strikes a plea deal in boob-biting case
Erratic rapper Azealia Banks took a plea deal in her boob-biting case Wednesday — just as her trial was slated to begin.
Banks, 25, copped to third-degree assault, the top count against her, in exchange for a deferred no-jail sentence for a bizarre altercation at Up & Down nightclub in December 2015.
The combustible rapper allegedly cursed out a female bouncer who didn’t recognize her, then punched and bit her when the woman tossed her from the Chelsea nightspot.
“Did you intentionally cause physical injury to Christine Soares by biting down on her breast?” asked Judge Ann Scherzer in Manhattan Criminal Court.
“Yes,” muttered Banks, wearing a skin-tight minidress, sparkly tights and platform boots that were so bulky that she struggled to walk.
The attention-addicted rapstress must complete an anger management program, continue mental health treatment, abide by a full order of protection and generally avoid any more collisions with the law.
If she manages to meet those conditions, the assault conviction will be reduced to disorderly conduct — a violation, not a crime. Scherzer warned her that if she violated the terms, she faced up to a year in jail.
Banks took the deal a few days after the emergence of several embarrassing revelations on the eve of trial.
Assistant District Attorney Shea Donato said last Friday that Banks had slashed her sister in the neck, arm and hand in 2008, and wanted to introduce those damaging details at trial.
The prosecutor also said Banks “was involved in an altercation with actor Russell Crowe inside his hotel room” in Los Angeles in October 2016 while attending a party there.
“She reported to the police that Russell Crowe was the primary aggressor in that case, however, that was quickly discredited by police and multiple eyewitness accounts,” Donato said.
The ex-stripper-turned-rapper was supposed to be the sole defense witness at her trial.
Once a promising recording artist, Banks has seen her allure fade after a series of racist and homophobic outbursts.
The string of controversy appears to have taken a toll on her bank account, as Banks was forced to ditch her private lawyer in exchange for a free court-appointed counselor during the case.
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