After opting to be extradited to the United States almost two months ago to face one charge of absconding bail, dancehall artiste Busy Signal pleaded guilty yesterday.
The deejay, whose real name is Glendale Goshia Gordon, had admitted that he left the United States 10 years ago before his scheduled trial on drug charges. In court yesterday, Busy Signal pleaded guilty to one count of failure to appear in court.
Busy Signal could face between 12 to 18 months in prison and a fine of US$3,000 to US$30,000, under sentencing guideline recommendations.
According to the Associated Press, his attorney, Bill Mauzy, said he would ask for a sentence of time served. Assistant US Attorney Andrew Dunne declined to say how much time prosecutors would seek. A sentencing date has not been set.
While the cocaine charge still exists, the United States doesn't have jurisdiction to prosecute Gordon on those counts at this time.
US District Judge Donovan Frank said once Busy Signal serves his sentence, he will be given 45 days to return to Jamaica. If he remains in the US after that, he could be arrested on the drug charges.
In May, news broke that Busy Signal had been nabbed by the Fugitive Apprehension Team at the Norman Manley International Airport as he returned from a tour in the Netherlands. This came a month after the release of his album Reggae Music Again that features tracks like Come Over, Running From The Law and Kingston Town.
He was arrested on an extradition warrant from the United States of America (USA). The deejay waived his right to a local hearing, opting to return to the USA to face a charge of absconding bail only.
It was also revealed in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court that Busy had been scheduled to go on trial for conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine in the United States in 2002 when he absconded bail.
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