Lil' Kim Back in Court on Perjury Charge
07/28/2004 AT 08:00 AM EDT
In the rapper's case, her charges stem from the investigation of a Feb. 25, 2001, shootout outside the Lower Manhattan headquarters of radio station Hot 97. Dozens of shots were fired in the melee, though only one man was wounded. There were no fatalities.
One of Kim's bodyguards, Suif "Gutta" Jackson, has pleaded guilty to firing a machine gun and another weapon during the incident.
Prosecutors claim that Kim (real name: Kimberly Jones), 30, lied to a grand jury about her knowledge of the shootout. Authorities also contend that Kim's assistant, Monique Dopwell, mimicked her boss and also lied to the grand jury.
New York's Daily News reports that besides Kim, her business manager, Hillary Weston, has been added as a defendant in the case. On Tuesday, says the paper, Weston, 49, was indicted on charges of ignoring subpoenas demanding documents from Kim's company, Queen Bee Entertainment.
Weston also is accused of altering, destroying and mutilating Queen Bee's records that were requested by the grand jury and which pertained to the shootout.
Defense attorney Leo Sachs tells the News that Kim, Weston, Dopwell and another bodyguard will plead not guilty at Wednesday's court appearance.
"Lil' Kim and her manager are being unjustly accused and wrongfully targeted because of who they are in the music industry," said Sachs.