Celebrities Who Are Currently in - or Have Been to - Prison

6ix9ine, born Daniel Hernandez, is a rapper whose debut album went platinum. In February 2019, he pleaded guilty to nine charges including armed robbery and conspiracy to commit murder for ordering the shooting of fellow rapper Chief Keef. 6ix9ine was released from federal prison in April 2020, and served the rest of his term under house arrest.

Abby Lee Miller became famous as the hard-driving dance-business owner for the reality TV show “Dance Moms.” In October 2015 she was indicted for bankruptcy fraud for hiding her assets, and customs fraud for not declaring $120,000 in cash upon returning to the U.S. from a masterclass tour of Australia. The following June, she pleaded guilty to bankruptcy fraud and in May 2017 she was sentenced to a year and a day. Miller was released a year later.

Allison Mack, best known for her roles in the TV shows “Smallville” and “Wilfred,” was involved in one of the stranger criminal episodes involving celebrities. Mack was a member of a marketing company called NXIVM that claimed to offer professional development seminars. In reality, it was a front for a sex-trafficking gang. In 2018, Mack and other people were indicted on federal sex-trafficking and racketeering charges. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years in prison in June 2021.

You might remember Amy Locane for her appearances in the movies “Cry-Baby” and “School Ties” and the TV series “Melrose Place.” She became infamous in June 2010 when she was speeding on a residential street in New Jersey and struck another vehicle, killing a passenger. Her blood alcohol level was nearly three times the legal limit. In November 2012 she was convicted of vehicular homicide and assault by auto and the following February, Locane was sentenced to three years in state prison. She was released on parole in June 2015. In September 2020, Locane was re-sentenced to an additional eight years in state prison after prosecutors complained that the original judge in her case hadn’t adhered to minimum sentencing guidelines. She won’t be eligible for parole until she serves at least four years.

A pioneering African-American comedian who became “America’s Dad” on his top-rated television series “The Bill Cosby Show,” Cosby became one of the first celebrities sentenced for sexual assault in the #MeToo era. In April 2018, he was found guilty of three counts of aggravated indecent assault and sentenced for up to 10 years in state prison. His conviction was overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on June 30, 2021, and ordered his immediate release from jail after it was determined that he had been denied protection against self-incrimination.

Scion of one Hollywood’s great acting dynasties – the son of Michael Douglas and grandson of Kirk Doublas – Cameron Douglas, who appeared in the films “Wonder Boys” and “The Runner,” pleaded guilty to heroin possession and conspiracy to distribute drugs in January 2010. He was sentenced to five years in prison. While in prison, Douglas got into further trouble. In October 2011, he pleaded guilty to drug possession and was sentenced to another 4 1/2 years. He was released in August 2016.

You probably recognize Charles Dutton from his roles on the TV show “Roc” and the movies “The Piano Lesson” and “Get on the Bus.” But before his acting career took off, he was convicted in 1967 of manslaughter and sentenced to five years in jail. He was paroled after 20 months. While on parole, Dutton was arrested on robbery and gun charges, and returned to prison to finish his sentence.

Chuck Berry was one of rock ‘ n’ roll’s pioneers, with hits such as “Maybellene” and “Roll Over Beethoven,” but his private life was a troubled one. He was convicted of armed robbery in 1944 at age 18 and sentenced to 10 years in prison, serving three years. After his career soared, in December 1959 he was arrested for violating the Mann Act by having sex with a 14-year-old prostitute he had driven from Mexico to St. Louis. Berry was sentenced to three years in jail. He served 20 months, and was released in October 1963. In 1979, having failed to report cash income, he was given a four-month sentence plus community service for tax evasion.

A producer and actress, known for “Bad Boys” and “Big Momma’s House,” Da Brat struck a woman in the face with a bottle at an Atlanta-area nightclub in August 2007. She was sentenced to three years in prison. In May 2010 she was released from jail after serving 21 months.

TV and movie viewers know the muscular, tattooed actor from his appearances as an oftentimes menacing character in “Desperado,” “Heat,” “Con Air,” “Breaking Bad,” “Spy Kids,” and “Sons of Anarchy.” Trejo was in various prisons for 11 years including San Quentin, for armed robbery, assault, and various drug offenses. He turned his life around in prison and became a drug counselor and then worked as an extra in films that launched his career.

Before he died of a drug overdose in 2021, rapper DMX, aka Earl Simmons, believed he had been jailed at least 30 times. The charges included theft, robbery, weapons possession, drug possession, animal cruelty, reckless and unlicensed driving, and parole violations. In July 2017, he was charged with 14 counts of tax fraud. In March 2018 he was sentenced to one year in prison and released 10 months later.

The flamboyant boxing promoter who staged fights for Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, and Mike Tyson among many other pugilists, was in trouble with the law before he ever became famous. In 1967 he was convicted of first-degree manslaughter for kicking, stomping, and pistol whipping an employee to death. King got one to 20 years in prison and only served four years before he was paroled.

You know him from reality television as a bounty hunter who became famous after capturing fugitive Andrew Luster, heir to the Max Factor cosmetic fortune. Long before that, Chapman had his own problems with the law. In 1976, he was waiting in a getaway car when his friend shot and killed a drug dealer during an altercation. “Dog” was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to five years in prison. He was released after serving 18 months.

Felicity Huffman became famous for appearing on the hit television series “Desperate Housewives.” Things got a little more desperate for her in 2019 when she was convicted of fraud for paying $15,000 to have her daughter’s SAT scores falsely inflated to improve her chances of getting accepted into a prestigious college. Huffman served 11 days in jail.

Flesh ‘N’ Bone (born Stanley Howse) is best known as a member of the Grammy Award-winning rap group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. In September 2000, he pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon and probation violation. Flesh ‘N’ Bone was sentenced to 12 years in prison and was released in July 2008.

Gary Glitter (born Paul Francis Gadd) was an English glam rocker in the early 1970s whose biggest hit in the U.S. was “Rock & Roll Part 2,” which was played frequently at sports events. His reputation was forever tarnished by a series of sex-assault crimes. In 1999, he was sentenced to four months in an English prison for downloading images of child pornography. Seven years later, he was convicted in Vietnam of committing obscene acts with girls ages 10 and 11, and sentenced to three years in prison. In February 2015, he was convicted in England of attempted rape, four counts of indecent assault, and one count of having sex with a girl under age of 13. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison. He is still incarcerated, but there are reports that he will be released early this year.

This notorious movie mogul became the face of the #MeToo movement. In February 2020, Weinstein was found guilty of rape and sexual assault and sentenced to 23 years in prison. In June 2021, a judge sitting in New York ordered him extradited to Los Angeles to face more crime charges, where he was again found guilty. Weinstein is eligible for parole on the original convictions in November 2040, when he’s 87. He was found guilty in his L.A. case. He was sentenced to 16 years for sexual assault charges.

This Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter (born Jeffrey Bruce Atkins), who appeared in the movie “The Fast and the Furious,” pleaded guilty in December 2010 to unauthorized gun possession and was sentenced to two years in state prison. Ja Rule was also sentenced to 28 months in federal prison for tax evasion for failing to pay taxes on more than $3 million in earnings.

James Brown was one of the most electrifying performers in musical history with songs such as “I Got You (I Feel Good),” “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag (Part 1),” and “Living in America.” Offstage, the “Godfather of Soul” had his share of run-ins with the law. In 1988, after a near deadly confrontation at an insurance seminar where he brandished a gun, Brown was convicted of assault, failure to stop for a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, carrying a pistol, and drug possession. He was sentenced to 6-1/2 years in prison. He served 15 months in jail and 10 months in a work-release program. He was paroled in 1991.

A British ex-actor, Waylett was known for playing the bully Vincent Crabbe in six of the eight “Harry Potter” films. His life off camera has been less magical. In March 2012, Waylett was sentenced to two years for violent disorder and one year for handling stolen goods. The sentences were to run concurrently.

You might remember Jared Fogle as the overweight spokesman for the Subway sandwich chain who lost nearly 250 pounds – which he mostly attributed to eating Subway sandwiches twice a day. In November 2015, Fogle pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography and paying for sex with underage girls. He was sentenced to 15 years and eight months in federal prison, and must serve at least 13 years of the term before he’s eligible for parole. His earliest possible release date is March 2029.

Televangelist and talk-show host Jim Bakker founded the Praise the Lord (PTL) ministries, which took in nearly $160 million dollars per year at its height. He resigned from PTL after it was revealed that he paid hush money to a 21-year-old woman after having sex with her. In 1988, Bakker was indicted for conspiracy and mail and wire fraud. He was initially sentenced to 45 years in prison, which was reduced to eight years. Bakker was released from prison in 1994.

Joe Exotic became an instant celebrity as the subject of the Netflix documentary series “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness.” In 2019 he was convicted of two counts of attempted murder for hire for trying to kill Carole Baskin, an animal activist and outspoken critic of Exotic’s business practices. He was also convicted of 17 charges related to the killing and breeding of tigers and sentenced to 22 years in federal prison.

John Forté had the educational background (Phillips Exeter Academy, New York University) and musical cred (Fugees associate, collaborations with Wyclef Jean) to succeed. But he ran afoul of the law. Forté was sentenced to the mandatory minimum 14 years in 2001 after he was found guilty of possession of 31 pounds of liquid cocaine with intent to distribute. With the help of Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, his sentence was commuted by President George W. Bush on Nov. 24, 2008, and he was released the following month.

The perky English actress, who died in 2015, is best remembered for uttering the phrase “Sock it to me!” on the TV comedy show, “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In,” after which she would get drenched with water or hit with a pie. British law enforcement socked it to Carne in 1986 when she was arrested at London’s Heathrow Airport and convicted of drug possession. She was sentenced to three months in jail and released after two months.

Julian Assange is an activist publisher who printed confidential U.S. documents regarding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the 2016 Democratic National Convention in an episode known as Wikileaks. In November 2010, Sweden issued an international arrest warrant for Assange for sexual assault. He surrendered to the police in London, and was granted bail pending an extradition hearing to Sweden.

Ecuador granted him asylum, and he lived in the Ecuadorian embassy in London from 2012 to 2019. The Swedish case was dismissed for lack of evidence. In 2019, the Ecuadorian government withdrew its asylum and Assange was arrested for breaching the Bail Act and sentenced to 50 weeks in jail. His prison term ended in September 2019. However, he remains in prison in London despite pleas for his release.

Julie Chrisley is the wife of real estate businessman Todd Chrisley, and they both starred on the reality TV show “Chrisley Knows Best.” In June 2022, she and her husband were found guilty of tax evasion and conspiracy to defraud banks out of more than $30 million in bogus loans. She was sentenced to seven years in federal prison in November 2022 and will begin serving her sentence in early 2023.

Lauryn Hill was a former member of the group The Fugees and a Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter who sold over 10 million copies with her solo album, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.” Things have not gone so well when she’s not performing. In June 2012, Hill was charged with three counts of tax fraud for failing to file taxes on $1.8 million of income earned between 2005 and 2007. She pleaded guilty to the charges and was released in October 2013.

The debut album of rapper/singer-songwriter Lil’ Kim (born Kimberly Denise Jones) sold more than 6 million copies worldwide. But she had legal problems in her private life. In July 2005, she was convicted of three counts of conspiracy and one count of perjury for lying to a federal grand jury about a shootout outside a Manhattan radio station in 2001. Lil’ Kim was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison. She was released in July 2006.

There were plenty of acting heavy hitters in “The Bronx Tale,” including Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Chazz Palminteri. Young Lillo Brancato rose to the occasion, playing the son of a New York City bus driver tempted by a life of organized crime. He also appeared in the mob series “The Sopranos.”

Unfortunately for Brancato, life imitated art. In December 2005 he was arrested and charged with second-degree murder of an off-duty police officer who was killed while Brancato and an accomplice were burglarizing a house. Brancato sat in jail for three years awaiting trial. In December 2008, a jury found him not guilty of the murder, but guilty of attempted first-degree burglary. A month later, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He was released on New Year’s Eve 2013.

Lori Loughlin was best known for the family comedy TV series “Full House.” She and her husband were among 50 people caught by the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office for fraud- and bribery-related charges in March 2019 in a college entrance-exam cheating scandal. They were indicted for allegedly paying $500,000 to the University of Southern California, a bribe disguised as a donation, in order to gain admission for their daughter. In May 2020, Loughlin pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud. She was sentenced to two months in federal prison and was released in December 2020.

Marion “Suge” Knight is a music executive and co-founder and CEO of Death Row Records, which released albums for Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Tupac Shakur, MC Hammer, and others. Knight was sentenced to nine years in prison in 1997 for attacking a rival gang member and released in 2001. Two years later, he was returned to prison for violating parole after a fight with a parking lot attendant. In January 2015, Knight ran over two men in a parking lot, killing one of them. He was charged with murder, attempted murder, and hit-and-run. In 2018 Knight pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter, and was sentenced to 28 years in prison. He is not eligible for parole until July 2037.

Publisher, television-show host, and culture maven Martha Stewart famously got in trouble in June 2003 when she was indicted on nine counts of conspiracy, securities fraud, and obstruction of justice. In July 2004 she was sentenced to five months in prison and released in March 2005.

Philadelphia-born rapper Meek Mill (born Robert Rihmeek Williams) was convicted for drug trafficking and gun possession in 2008 and sentenced to 11 to 23 months in county jail in Philadelphia. He was released less than six months later and placed on five years probation, which he violated, and in November 2017 he was sentenced to two to four years in state prison. In April 2018, Mill was released pending appeal, and three months later a Pennsylvania appeals court overturned his conviction because of new evidence that undermined the credibility of the officer who testified against him in his original trial. The Philadelphia district attorney chose not to retry his case.

Michael Jace is an actor known for appearing in “The Replacements,” “The Shield,” “State of Play,” and “The Fan.” In 2014, Jace shot his wife to death in front of their two children, ages 5 and 8. She had recently asked him for a divorce after years of what she said was domestic violence. In 2016, Jace was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 40 years to life.

Mike Tyson was one of the most powerful and intimidating boxers ever to hold the heavyweight title and the youngest man to win a heavyweight boxing title, at age 20. Tyson also appeared as himself in the comedy smash “The Hangover.” In March 1992, he was convicted of rape and criminal deviant conduct, and sentenced to 10 years in prison on each charge, the sentences to run concurrently. The judge then suspended four years of his sentence.

A Heisman trophy winner and one of the greatest running backs of all time, O.J. Simpson retired from professional football to become a successful actor. He was acquitted of murdering Ron Goldman and his own wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, in 1995 in one of the most notorious trials of the era. In September 2007, Simpson and three other men invaded the Las Vegas hotel room of another man and seized sports memorabilia that Simpson claimed had been stolen from him. He was arrested and charged with criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, assault, robbery, and using a deadly weapon. In October 2008, Simpson was found guilty of all charges and sentenced to nine to 33 years in prison. He was released in October 2017 after serving nine years.

A music producer for the Beatles, Tina Turner, and the Righteous Brothers, Phil Spector was famous for creating the wall of sound that created a dense orchestral effect. He also wrote such hits as “Be My Baby,” “Da Doo Ron Ron,” and “To Know Him Is to Love Him.” In February 2003, he was arrested for shooting actress Lana Clarkson to death in his home. More than six years later, he was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 19 years to life. He died in 2021 from Covid-19 complications while still serving his sentence.

R. Kelly is a Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and record producer who has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. In September 2021, a federal jury in New York found him guilty of nine felonies including racketeering, sexual exploitation of a child, kidnapping, bribery, sex trafficking, and violation of the Mann Act. In June 2022, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison. In September 2022, Kelly was convicted of six federal child pornography charges in Chicago. Sentencing is scheduled for February 2023.

Remy Ma is one of just six female rappers to ever top the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 2008, she was convicted of intentional assault for shooting a woman in the abdomen. She was sentenced to eight years in prison. Ma was released in July 2014 after serving six years.

Ricardo Medina Jr. is famous as one of the Power Rangers in “Power Rangers Wild Force” and “Power Rangers Samurai.” In January 2015, he stabbed his roommate to death with a sword following an argument. Medina Jr. was initially charged with first-degree murder, but pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in 2017. He was sentenced to six years in prison and was released in November 2020 after serving three years.

Robert Downey Jr. is one of the most acclaimed actors of his generation, best known for his role in “Iron Man” adventure series and his interpretation of Sherlock Holmes in several movies about the famed sleuth. Downey Jr. was arrested several times in the 1990s for possession of cocaine, heroin, and ecstasy, as well as for carrying a firearm. In 1997, he spent six months in jail for failing to report for a mandatory drug test while on probation following a previous arrest. Several other arrests on drug charges and probation violations followed and he spent almost a year at the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison in 1999 and 2000..

Ryan Grantham is a former child actor best known for the movies “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” and “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.” On March 31, 2020, he killed his mother by shooting her in the back of the head while she was playing the piano. In July 2022 he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and received a life sentence. During the trial, the prosecution disclosed that Grantham had also wanted to kill Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau.

Some consider actor Stacy Keach to be America’s preeminent interpreter of the works of William Shakespeare, while television viewers might remember him for appearances in the TV series “Mike Hammer” and “Hemingway.” In April 1984, he was arrested for cocaine possession at Heathrow Airport in London. In December 1984, the judge denied his request for leniency, and sentenced him to nine months in prison. Keach was released in June 1985.

Rapper and record producer T.I. (born Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr.) is a three-time Grammy Award-winner. As an actor he’s appeared in “The Wasp” and “Ant-Man.” In 1998 he was convicted of distribution of cocaine and manufacturing and distribution of a controlled substance. He was sentenced to three years in prison but released after a year. In March 2009, T.I. was sentenced to a year and a day for unregistered machine guns and possession of firearms by a convicted felon. He was jailed in federal prison and was released from custody in March 2010. In September 2010, T.I. tested positive for opiates, a violation of his probation. He was sent back to prison for 11 months. T.I. was released in September 2011.

The self-effacing comedian best known for the TV shows “Home Improvement” and “Last Man Standing” had problems with the law before he found fame. In 1979, Allen pleaded guilty to felony drug trafficking and was sentenced to three to seven years in federal prison. He avoided a life sentence by turning state’s evidence and testifying against other drug dealers. Allen served 28 months and was released in June 1981.

Todd Chrisley is a real estate businessman and former star of the reality TV show “Chrisley Knows Best.” In June 2022, he and his wife, Julie, were found guilty of tax evasion and conspiracy to defraud banks out of more than $30 million in bogus loans. In November 2022, he was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison. He and his wife will begin serving their sentences in early 2023.

Tom Sizemore is a tough-guy actor best known for the movies “Saving Private Ryan” and “Born on the Fourth of July.” Off-camera, Sizemore has struggled with drug addiction for many years, beginning as a youth in Detroit. In January 2006, he pleaded no contest to methamphetamine possession and was given 36 months probation. The following May, Sizemore was arrested outside a hotel in Bakersfield, Calif., for possession of methamphetamine. In June 2007, he was sentenced to 16 months in state prison for violating probation. Sizemore was released in December 2007.

Actor, songwriter, and rapper Tupac Shukar has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. In December 1994, he was convicted of first-degree sexual abuse and was sentenced to 18 months to 4 1/2 years for the crime. He was released in October 1995 after record producer Suge Knight posted his $1.4 million bond pending appeal. On Sept. 7, 1996, he and Knight were shot in a drive-by in Las Vegas. Knight survived but Shukar died from his wounds six days later.

Wesley Snipes is an actor and film producer best known for the “Blade” film trilogy and the movies “New Jack City,” “White Men Can’t Jump,” and “The Expendables.” Snipes was convicted of willful failure to file income tax returns for 1999 through 2004. In December 2009, he began serving his sentence and was released in April 2013.