Following her plea, the rapper said she's 'looking forward to moving past this situation.'
Cardi B has taken a plea deal in her 2018 strip club brawl case, and as a result, the rapper will serve community service.
The "I Like It" rapper appeared in New York court on Thursday and pleaded guilty to third-degree assault and second-degree reckless endangerment, both misdemeanors. Cardi had initially been indicted on 12 charges, including two felonies. As part of the plea deal, the remaining 10 charges have been dismissed and she was sentenced to 15 days of community service. She's also been ordered to stay away from two victims via a three-year protection order.
In a statement to ET, the rapper said the plea deal was made in effort to hold herself accountable.
"Part of growing up and maturing is being accountable for your actions. As a mother, it's a practice that I am trying to instill in my children, but the example starts with me," she said. "I've made some bad decisions in my past that I am not afraid to face and own up to. These moments don't define me and they are not reflective of who I am now. I'm looking forward to moving past this situation with my family and friends and getting back to the things I love the most -- the music and my fans."
According to the New York Post, the rapper's lawyer, Drew Findling, explained why his client decided to take the plea deal two years after having rejected one.
"There are too many things that she has planned for her family, for her career and for the community and she just felt, quite honestly, that a three-week jury trial was going to be a distraction from the things that she felt was most important and so, hence, we made contact with the prosecution," he said.
Cardi, wearing a plunging white dress with heels, was asked how she felt after leaving court and reportedly responded, "I feel like I look good." She later took to Twitter and echoed that sentiment after posting several photos of her in and out of court and writing, "Puuuurrrrrr."
The plea deal puts to rest the legal drama that unfolded following the rapper's role in an August 2018 brawl at Angels Strip Club in Queens, where the rapper and about nine members of her entourage allegedly threw chairs, bottles and a hookah pipe toward bartenders, two of whom were said to be injured.
According to legal documents obtained by ET, one bartender claimed that one of the drinks allegedly thrown by a member of Cardi’s group landed on her face, resulting in burning, itching and temporary blindness in her eyes.
A few months after the incident, Cardi was arrested and charged in connection with the brawl. According to reports, the plea deal came at the last minute, as jury selection was set to begin Friday and the trial on Monday.
RELATED CONTENT:
