NEW YORK (AP) — "I'm innocent," Brown argued before Judge Melissa C. Jackson, claiming she felt rushed at the time she made the plea agreement. She also said her previous lawyer had told her she would face jail time unless she agreed to the deal.
Jackson, after listening to last-ditch pleas from the 27-year-old rapper and her attorney, rejected the appeal for a two-week extension and new arguments, instead handing down the sentence worked out in earlier negotiations.
"The purpose of a reargument is not to let the parties go over issues that have already been decided," Jackson said. The judge warned Brown that if she didn't abide by the conditions of her probation, she faced a possible sentence of one year in jail.
Brown, accompanied by a bodyguard and her lawyer, arrived at the courthouse in a black sport-utility vehicle. Her outfit included black high heels with little white polka dots, sunglasses and skintight black pants.
During the course of the trial, the rapper hired three attorneys, tried once before to reverse her guilty plea and was threatened with jail time for missing a court appearance Monday. An angry Jackson promised to throw Brown in jail for a year if she didn't show up for the sentencing.
An earlier effort to reach a plea bargain last December had also fallen through.
Brown pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault charges in August for kicking one employee and smacking a second worker in the face on Aug. 29, 2004, in an argument over payment for a manicure at Bloomie Nails.
Brown, whose albums include Ill Na Na and Chyna Doll, is known for her revealing outfits and raunchy lyrics. Under the plea bargain, she is also required to take anger management classes.
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