Man pleads not guilty to hacking celebrity e-mails

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A Florida man pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to hacking into e-mail accounts to access and distribute nude photos and other personal information of numerous celebrities including actress Scarlett Johansson.

Christopher Chaney, 35, of Jacksonville, Florida was arrested on October 12 after an 11-month investigation dubbed "Operation Hackerazzi" by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Chaney was charged with 26 counts of cyber-related crimes for hacking into e-mails of "The Avengers" star Johansson, along with actress Mila Kunis ("Black Swan") and singer Christina Aguilera. Other victims were identified only by their initials, which included B.P. and J.A., among them.

The photos of 26-year-old Johansson showed her topless and in a towel with an exposed backside. She revealed in a Vanity Fair magazine interview they were taken for her now ex-husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, when they were still married.

Leaked photos of Kunis showed her in a tub filled with bubbles, showing only her face.

The day after he was arrested, Chaney told a Jacksonville, Florida TV station that he became addicted to prying into the affairs of celebrities and apologized.

"I was almost relieved months ago when they (the FBI) came and took my computer ... because I didn't know how to stop, he told the TV station.

On Tuesday, a Los Angeles judge set a trial date of December 27 and freed Chaney on a $110,000 bond. He will be allowed to return home, but must wear a court monitoring device.

If convicted of all the crimes, Chaney faces up to 121 years in jail.

(Editing by Jill Serjeant)

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Rapper pleads guilty to battery, will go to jail (AP)

DECATUR, Ga. – Authorities in suburban Atlanta say rapper Gucci Mane will serve six months in jail after pleading guilty to battery and other charges.

DeKalb County Solicitor-General Sherry Boston said Tuesday that Mane, whose real name is Radric Delantic Davis, pleaded guilty to two counts of battery, two counts of reckless conduct and one count of disorderly conduct.

A police report said Davis pushed 36-year-old Diana Graham out of his Hummer as it rolled down a suburban Atlanta street on Jan. 28.

State Court Judge Eleanor Ross sentenced the rapper to serve six months in custody followed by several months on probation.

The judge also ordered him to complete 12 weeks of anger management classes; pay $5,091 in restitution to the woman for her medical bills; and pay a $3,000 fine.

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Jaime Pressly pleads no contest to drunken driving (AP)

LOS ANGELES – Actress Jaime Pressly has been sentenced to three years of informal probation after pleading no contest to drunken driving. Santa Monica Deputy City Attorney Melanie Skehar says Pressly's attorney entered the plea Thursday for the former star of "My Name is Earl."

Pressly was also ordered to attend a six-month alcohol education class. Skehar says the Department of Motor Vehicles is also requiring an ignition locking device be installed on her car.

Pressly was arrested Jan. 5 after police say she was stopped for a traffic violation and charged with driving while having a blood alcohol content of more than .20. The legal limit is .08.

Her attorney, Richard Hutton, did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment.

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Alleged Miley Cyrus hacker pleads in separate case (AP)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A 21-year-old who bragged about hacking into Miley Cyrus' email account and distributing revealing pictures of her pleaded guilty in federal court to unrelated charges of credit card fraud and hacking.

Josh Holly was in U.S. District Court in Nashville on Monday. He pleaded to having about 200 credit card numbers and to commercial electronic mail message fraud in a scheme to spam visitors to celebrities' MySpace pages.

Holly was not charged for hacking the singer's account. But federal agents found evidence of other crimes when they interviewed Holly and searched his computer in 2008.

The Tennessean newspaper reported ( http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_en_ce/storytext/us_miley_cyrus_hacking/42458255/SIG=10m6vvf5b/*http://bit.ly/nYTeSx) that Holly also violated a condition that he stay off the Internet when he posted on Facebook that he was feeling "strong urges" to start hacking again.

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Winehouse's father pleads with government over rehab (AFP)

LONDON (AFP) – Amy Winehouse's father went to parliament on Monday to plead for more state-funded drug rehabilitation centres as his family waits for toxicology test results on the British singer's death.

Mitch Winehouse discussed plans to tackle a gap in treatment services and wider drugs policy with Crime Minister James Brokenshire.

"I want to involve myself in things that would be important to Amy," the taxi driver said.

"This isn't only important to me, this is important to our whole country.

"There's hundreds of thousands of young people in situations today that could be avoided, and these are our future policemen, doctors and lawyers and solicitors, that we could help."

Winehouse, 27, was found dead at her north London home on July 23. Her death remains unexplained, with toxicology test results due within the next three weeks, although it is not being treated as suspicious.

The soul singer's sultry vocal talents were often overshadowed by her drink and drug addictions, and her best-known single, "Rehab", detailed her troubles and reluctance to undergo rehabilitation treatment.

"I think there is a new emphasis and thinking within the government to try and get treatment in at the sharp end rather than money being wasted through the criminal justice system," Mitch Winehouse said.

"There was one rehab centre for juveniles, Middlegate, which has just shut down because of a lack of funding.

"We were in the fortunate position of being able to fund Amy to go into private rehab, but this is about people who can't afford it."

Fans of the soul star sent her back on top of this week's British album chart, which came out Sunday.

Grammy Award-winning album "Back to Black", which first reached number one in 2007, returned to the summit while Winehouse's debut release, "Frank", recharted at number five. A box set of the two albums entered the chart at number 10.

The singer also occupied five spots on the singles chart top 40 with the song "Back to Black" reaching number eight.

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'Jeopardy!' burglary suspect pleads not guilty (AP)

SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco woman charged with breaking into the hotel room of "Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek has pleaded not guilty to felony charges of burglary and possession of stolen property.

Lucinda Moyers entered her plea Monday in San Francisco Superior Court. The judge kept the 56-year-old's bail at $625,000. She is scheduled back in court on Aug. 15 to set a preliminary hearing date.

Authorities say Moyers stole cash, a bracelet and other items from the San Francisco hotel room on July 26 where Trebek was staying with his wife, Jean. All of the items except the cash and bracelet were recovered.

Trebek says he chased Moyers out of his room at the Marriot Marquis. He ruptured his Achilles tendon and is currently on crutches.

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Comic Andy Dick pleads not guilty to sex abuse charges (Reuters)

CHARLESTON, West Virginia (Reuters) – Comedian Andy Dick pleaded not guilty on Friday to charges he sexually abused a security guard and another man at a West Virginia bar by grabbing their crotches.

The case marks the latest in a long string of legal entanglements for Dick, who was a regular cast member on the 1990s television comedy "NewsRadio" but has since struggled with substance abuse problems.

Dick pleaded not guilty to two counts of sexual abuse before Cabell County Circuit Judge Paul Ferrell in Huntington, West Virginia, according to the local prosecutor's office.

He is accused of groping the two men at the Huntington bar in January 2010. The charge of sexual abuse carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

In 2008 Dick pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of battery and possession of marijuana stemming from an incident in which police said he pulled down the top of a 17-year-old girl in Southern California.

Dick, who sports curly blond hair and rectangular glasses, has had several other brushes with the law in recent years. He made a guest appearance earlier this year on the NBC comedy "Community."

(Reporting by Steven Adams, Writing by Alex Dobuzinskis: Editing by Steve Gorman)

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Tone Loc pleads not guilty to domestic violence (AP)

BURBANK, Calif. – Prosecutors say rapper Tone Loc has pleaded not guilty to a felony domestic violence charge stemming from an arrest earlier this year.

The artist, whose real name is Anthony Smith, entered the plea in a Burbank, Calif., courthouse on Thursday. Known for the hits "Wild Thing" and "Funky Cold Medina," Smith was arrested in the city which is north of Los Angeles on June 18.

He also faces a felony possession of an assault weapon charge because Burbank police discovered the rapper has an unregistered Colt AR-15 rifle.

He returns to court on July 28.

Police have released few details about the 45-year-old's arrest, saying only that he was taken into custody after a woman accused him of assault.

An after-hours phone message left for Smith's agent was not immediately returned.

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Man pleads not guilty to stalking Halle Berry (AP)

By ANTHONY McCARTNEY, AP Entertainment Writer Anthony Mccartney, Ap Entertainment Writer – Wed Jul 13, 9:39 pm ET

LOS ANGELES – A man charged with stalking Halle Berry pleaded not guilty Wednesday and was ordered to stay 500 yards away from the Oscar-winning actress if he is released from jail.

Richard A. Franco, 27, did not speak during a brief arraignment hearing that occurred hours after he was charged with stalking.

Deputy Public Defender Ken Star, entered the plea on his behalf and did not oppose the court order protecting Berry that was issued by Superior Court Judge Upinder S. Kalra.

The actress did not attend the hearing, but has come face-to-face at least twice since Saturday, when he first breached security at her Hollywood Hills home.

A prosecutor and Star said Berry identified Franco after his arrest Monday night.

Star read from a police report that stated Berry "appeared very shaken and showed signs of stress" when police asked her to identify Franco, but he conceded his client admitted to being at her home.

"She's in extreme fear of this defendant," Deputy District Attorney Wendy Segall said during the arraignment.

Berry obtained a civil restraining order requiring Franco to stay 100 yards away from her and her 3-year-old daughter on Tuesday. She wrote that Franco almost followed her into her kitchen on Sunday afternoon. She said she was able to lock the door and call police before he entered her house.

Kalra's order will expire in three years or once the case against Franco has concluded.

Franco will return to court on July 27 for a preliminary hearing where some of the evidence against him will be presented. He faces up to three years in prison if convicted. He remains jailed with bail set at $150,000.

___

Anthony McCartney can be reached at http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_en_ce/storytext/us_halle_berry_stalker/42227773/SIG=114qhamgc/*http://twitter.com/celebritydocket

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Rocker Rick Springfield pleads not guilty to DUI (AP)

MALIBU, Calif. – Prosecutors say an attorney for Rick Springfield has entered a not guilty plea on the rocker's behalf in a drunken driving case.

Los Angeles County district attorney's spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons says Philip Cohen entered the plea during a hearing Tuesday in Malibu.

The "Jessie's Girl" singer did not attend the arraignment in the misdemeanor case.

Springfield was arrested May 1 by a sheriff's deputy who stopped him for allegedly speeding in his 1963 Corvette on Pacific Coast Highway.

The sheriff's department said Springfield's blood alcohol content was 0.10 percent. That's over the 0.08 percent limit in which a person is presumed to be too drunk to drive.

Cohen did not immediately return a phone message.

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Rocker Rick Springfield pleads not guilty to DUI (AP)

MALIBU, Calif. – Prosecutors say an attorney for Rick Springfield has entered a not guilty plea on the rocker's behalf in a drunken driving case.

Los Angeles County district attorney's spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons says Philip Cohen entered the plea during a hearing Tuesday in Malibu.

The "Jessie's Girl" singer did not attend the arraignment in the misdemeanor case.

Springfield was arrested May 1 by a sheriff's deputy who stopped him for allegedly speeding in his 1963 Corvette on Pacific Coast Highway.

The sheriff's department said Springfield's blood alcohol content was 0.10 percent. That's over the 0.08 percent limit in which a person is presumed to be too drunk to drive.

Cohen did not immediately return a phone message.

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Michael Jackson's former GM pleads in tax case (AP)

WASHINGTON – A former general manager for Michael Jackson has pleaded guilty for failing to file tax returns during the time she worked for the late pop star.

The Justice Department says Raymone Bain failed to pay income taxes owed from 2006 through 2008. During that period, she was responsible for daily operations of the Michael Jackson Co., including financial, public relations and marketing tasks.

Court documents put the tax loss between $200,000 and $400,000.

Bain pleaded guilty to two counts in federal court Wednesday. She could face up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine for failing to file a federal tax return in 2008, and up to six months in prison and a $5,000 fine for failure to file a District of Columbia tax return in 2008.

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Funk icon Sly Stone pleads not guilty to cocaine charge (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Sly Stone, the reclusive funk legend whose career was crippled by rampant drug abuse, pleaded not guilty to possession of cocaine rocks on Wednesday.

The 68-year-old frontman for Sly and the Family Stone was arrested April 1 when Los Angeles police pulled over a live-in van for a minor traffic violation.

Cocaine rocks were found in the clothing of both Stone, who was a passenger, and the driver, according to the singer's defense attorneys. Both men were arrested.

"A lot of musicians hang out with people who have drugs. How are they supposed to know?" said Peter Knecht, one of his attorneys. He insisted the cocaine did not belong to Stone.

Stone, whose real name is Sylvester Stewart, is next scheduled to appear in court in the Los Angeles suburb of Van Nuys for a pretrial conference on July 19. His arraignment was originally scheduled for last Friday, but he was hospitalized for heart problems.

Stone, a veteran of the San Francisco power scene, revolutionized soul music with tunes such as "Don't Call me Nigger, Whitey" and "I Want to Take You Higher" that both fed on and fueled the political and social turmoil of the time.

His career, however, was marred by decades of run-ins with the law. Throughout the 1970s and 80s, he was plagued by drug and gun possession charges.

"You can't punish a guy for what he did 40 years ago, 30 years ago," said Knecht.

Stone made his first major public appearance in almost 13 years at the Grammy Awards in 2006 when he was the object of an all-star tribute. Sporting a blond Mohawk and a shiny white jacket, he sauntered out on stage during a performance of "I Want to Take You Higher," but left before the song was over.

Stone just finished recording a new album that will be released on August 16, according to Tim Yasui, general manager for Cleopatra Records. It would mark his first album in almost 30 years.

(Editing by Dean Goodman)

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Funk icon Sly Stone pleads not guilty to cocaine charge (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Sly Stone, the reclusive funk legend whose career was crippled by rampant drug abuse, pleaded not guilty to possession of cocaine rocks on Wednesday.

The 68-year-old frontman for Sly and the Family Stone was arrested April 1 when Los Angeles police pulled over a live-in van for a minor traffic violation.

Cocaine rocks were found in the clothing of both Stone, who was a passenger, and the driver, according to the singer's defense attorneys. Both men were arrested.

"A lot of musicians hang out with people who have drugs. How are they supposed to know?" said Peter Knecht, one of his attorneys. He insisted the cocaine did not belong to Stone.

Stone, whose real name is Sylvester Stewart, is next scheduled to appear in court in the Los Angeles suburb of Van Nuys for a pretrial conference on July 19. His arraignment was originally scheduled for last Friday, but he was hospitalized for heart problems.

Stone, a veteran of the San Francisco power scene, revolutionized soul music with tunes such as "Don't Call me Nigger, Whitey" and "I Want to Take You Higher" that both fed on and fueled the political and social turmoil of the time.

His career, however, was marred by decades of run-ins with the law. Throughout the 1970s and 80s, he was plagued by drug and gun possession charges.

"You can't punish a guy for what he did 40 years ago, 30 years ago," said Knecht.

Stone made his first major public appearance in almost 13 years at the Grammy Awards in 2006 when he was the object of an all-star tribute. Sporting a blond Mohawk and a shiny white jacket, he sauntered out on stage during a performance of "I Want to Take You Higher," but left before the song was over.

Stone just finished recording a new album that will be released on August 16, according to Tim Yasui, general manager for Cleopatra Records. It would mark his first album in almost 30 years.

(Editing by Dean Goodman)

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Fallen IMF chief pleads not guilty to sex crimes (AFP)

NEW YORK (AFP) – Fallen IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn pleaded not guilty to attempted rape, setting up a fierce New York courtroom showdown with his accuser.

Asked how he pleaded to seven counts of sex crimes, the former head of the world lender, once a top contender for president of France, stood before Judge Michael Obus and more than 100 journalists to say: "Not guilty."

Strauss-Kahn, 62, then left with his wife and two burly bodyguards assigned to enforce his house arrest.

Outside the New York State Supreme Court, a lawyer for the Sofitel hotel maid accusing Strauss-Kahn of trying to rape her said she would take the stand during the trial.

From the courthouse steps he told a huge crowd of journalists that the alleged sexual assault in Strauss-Kahn's Sofitel luxury suite May 14 had left her "traumatized."

"She's going to come to the courthouse, she's going to tell the truth. What she wants is justice," lawyer Kenneth Thompson told reporters.

"The victim wants you to know that all of Dominique Strauss-Kahn's power, money, and influence throughout the world will not keep the truth about what he did to her in that hotel room from coming out."

A group of maids wearing their work uniforms demonstrated at the court, booing Strauss-Kahn as he arrived and chanting "Shame on you!" Their cries were audible from the 13th-floor courtroom where his seven minute arraignment hearing unfolded.

"We are here to support our co-worker," said Doris Codie, a 46-year-old maid who has worked for 15 years at Manhattan's Pierre Hotel, among those bused in by their union.

The next court hearing was set for July 18 and a trial could be months away. While the maid is set to be the main prosecution witness, Strauss-Kahn can choose not to testify.

He faces a likely maximum sentence of 25 years in prison if convicted.

Defense lawyers led by high-profile attorney Benjamin Brafman are strongly indicating they will not challenge the assertion that a sexual encounter took place.

This could be in recognition of apparently strong physical evidence collected by police, including, according to leaked reports, semen on the maid's shirt.

Instead, Brafman could argue that sex was consensual and that prosecutors cannot prove force was used.

"It will be clear that there was no element of forcible compulsion in this case whatsoever. Any suggestion to the contrary is simply not credible," Brafman told reporters outside the court building Monday.

Thompson said any suggestion that his client was a willing partner was a "smear campaign." However, "she is standing up for her dignity," he said.

The defendant was one of the most influential people in the global economy and widely considered to be a leading contender for the French presidency until his shock arrest on an Air France plane about to depart New York for Paris.

After a humiliating week in police detention and in the city's Rikers Island jail, Strauss-Kahn was released on house arrest after securing a $6 million bond and bail deal.

The bail allows him to leave the house only to visit his lawyers, pray once a week or go to court. He lives under armed guard and wears an ankle monitoring bracelet, although visits from family and a few friends are permitted.

His arrest and quick resignation from his post as head of the International Monetary Fund threw the global lender and economic policy powerhouse into disarray as it grapples with debt crises in the European Union.

It also caused dismay in France. Many there still believe the Socialist party figure has been mistreated, but the case has also stirred unusually vigorous debate in the country over long-taboo subjects such as sexual harassment.

Strauss-Kahn, whose wife is an American-born art heiress and famous former French television journalist, is spending vast sums on his defense. Just the bill for his home detention costs some $200,000 a month, according to prosecutors, while rental for his TriBeCa townhouse is estimated at $50,000 a month.

In addition to Brafman, Strauss-Kahn is employing private investigators believed to be digging into the personal life of the maid. Lawyers claim to have information that could "gravely undermine" her position, but they have not given more detail.

The prosecution is also led by big guns Joan Illuzzi-Orbon and Ann Prunty. Illuzzi-Orbon is head of the Manhattan District Attorney's hate crimes unit.

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Strauss-Kahn pleads not guilty to sex crimes (AFP)

NEW YORK (AFP) – Fallen IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn on Monday pleaded not guilty to attempted rape, setting up a fierce New York courtroom showdown with his accuser.

Asked how he pleaded to seven counts of sex crimes, the former head of the world lender, once a top contender for president of France, stood before Judge Michael Obus and more than 100 journalists to say: "Not guilty."

Strauss-Kahn, 62, then left with his wife and two burly bodyguards assigned to enforce his house arrest.

Outside the New York State Supreme Court, a lawyer for the Sofitel hotel maid accusing Strauss-Kahn of trying to rape her said she would take the stand during the trial.

From the courthouse steps he told a huge crowd of journalists that the alleged rape in Strauss-Kahn's Sofitel luxury suite May 14 had left her "traumatized."

"She's going to come to the courthouse, she's going to tell the truth. What she wants is justice," lawyer Kenneth Thompson told reporters.

"The victim wants you to know that all of Dominique Strauss-Kahn's power, money, and influence throughout the world will not keep the truth about what he did to her in that hotel room from coming out."

A group of maids arrived by bus to demonstrate at the court, booing Strauss-Kahn as he arrived and chanting "Shame on you!" Their cries were audible from the 13th floor courtroom where his seven minute arraignment hearing unfolded.

The next court hearing was set for July 18 and a trial could be months away. While the maid is set to be the main prosecution witness, Strauss-Kahn can choose not to testify.

Defense lawyers led by high-profile attorney Benjamin Brafman are strongly indicating they will not challenge the assertion that a sexual encounter took place.

This could be in recognition of apparently strong physical evidence collected by police, including, according to leaked reports, semen on the maid's shirt.

Instead, Brafman could argue that sex was consensual and that prosecutors cannot prove force was used.

"It will be clear that there was no element of forcible compulsion in this case whatsoever. Any suggestion to the contrary is simply not credible," Brafman told reporters outside the court building Monday.

Thompson said any suggestion that his client was a willing partner was a "smear campaign." However, "she is standing up for her dignity," he said.

The defendant was one of the most influential people in the global economy and widely considered to be a leading contender for the French presidency until his shock arrest on an Air France plane about to depart New York for Paris.

After a humiliating week in police detention and in the city's Rikers Island jail, Strauss-Kahn was released on house arrest after securing a $6 million bond and bail deal.

The bail allows him to leave the house only to visit his lawyers, pray once a week or go to court. He lives under armed guard and wears an ankle monitoring bracelet, although visits from family and a few friends are permitted.

His arrest and quick resignation from his post as head of the International Monetary Fund threw the global lender and economic policy powerhouse into disarray as it grapples with debt crises in the European Union.

It also caused dismay in France. Many there still believe the Socialist party figure has been mistreated, but the case has also stirred unusually vigorous debate in the country over long-taboo subjects such as sexual harassment.

Strauss-Kahn, whose wife is an American-born art heiress and famous former French television journalist, is spending vast sums on his defense. Just the bill for his home detention costs some $200,000 a month, according to prosecutors, while rental for his TriBeCa townhouse is estimated at $50,000 a month.

In addition to Brafman, Strauss-Kahn is employing private investigators believed to be digging into the personal life of the maid. Lawyers claim to have information that could "gravely undermine" her position, but they have not given more detail.

The prosecution is also led by big guns Joan Illuzzi-Orbon and Ann Prunty. Illuzzi-Orbon is head of the Manhattan District Attorney's hate crimes unit.

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