Cee-Lo Green pleads not guilty to charge of giving woman ecstasy

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/oct/22/cee-lo-green-pleads-not-guilty-charge-ecstasy

Version 0 of 1.

Cee-Lo Green has pleaded not guilty to a charge of giving a woman ecstasy at a dinner date in Los Angeles last July. The woman has alleged that Cee-Lo raped her later the same night, but prosecutors said there was insufficient evidence to file a charge of rape of an intoxicated person.

Green, 39, whose real name is Thomas DeCarlo Callaway, was arraigned in Los Angeles on Monday afternoon. The singer could face a four-year prison term if found guilty; he will reappear in court on 20 November after paying bail of $30,000 (£18,603).

The charge of furnishing a controlled substance follows two separate rounds of investigation during which detectives interviewed the alleged victim several times.

Police began their inquiry more than a year ago, when the unnamed woman told officers Green had slipped an ecstasy tablet into her drink as the two dined. She claimed she remembered nothing between sitting with Green at a sushi restaurant and waking up naked in the singer's bed.

Addressing the woman's allegations in a statement, defence lawyer Blair Berk said: "Mr Green encouraged a full and complete investigation of those claims and he was confident once conducted he would be cleared of having any wrongful intent and it would be established that any relations were consensual.

"As it relates to the one charge of furnishing or sharing ecstasy, Mr Green will responsibly address that matter in a court of law but not comment on it further out of respect for the process."

An established solo artist and member of both Goodie Mob and Gnarls Barkley, Green has recently been most visible as a judge on the US edition of The Voice. "Cee Lo will not be fired," the programme's executive producer said yesterday. The TV singing competition is currently in its fifth season.

Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning.