Desiigner has been sentenced after exposing himself on an airplane this year, but despite online reports he will not have to register as a sex offender.
via People:
The 26-year-old “Panda” rapper, whose real name is Sidney Royel Selby III, was sentenced to 120 hours of community service, fined $5,000 and will remain on probation for two years after he was charged with masturbating on a flight from Tokyo to Minneapolis on April 17.
After a flight attendant spotted the rapper exposing himself, the criminal complaint claimed he quickly covered himself, only to be caught masturbating about five minutes later by members of the Delta flight crew. At the time, authorities said that he continued to do so after being asked multiple times to stop.
It was previously reported that Desiigner would also have to register as a sex offender for indecent exposure, but his attorney, Ryan Garry, tells PEOPLE exclusively in a statement that those claims are untrue.
“Regarding the issue of Mr. Selby registering as a sex offender, many news outlets have incorrectly stated that he is required to register as an absolute condition of his probation. They are wrong,” Garry told PEOPLE of Desiigner.
“Since this was a federal misdemeanor, the sentencing judgement states that if the State of California or some other government entity requires that Mr. Selby must register as a sex offender, then he must,” the attorney continued.
“However, the parties in this case have come to the legal conclusion, after significant research and consultation with lawyers in California, that this misdemeanor conviction is not one that will cause Mr. Selby to have to register as a sex offender,” Garry added. “If some government agency in California disagrees with our analysis, then we will address the matter at that point in time.”
Legal documents obtained by PEOPLE state that the District of Minnesota charged the “Tiimmy Turner” rapper for one count of “obscenely and indecently exposed genitalia in a public place.”
“When questioned by the FBI, the rapper said he ‘didn’t get much’ in Japan and found one of the flight attendants attractive so he exposed himself,” the Associated Press reported following the incident.
“Mr. Selby has applied himself and taken great steps to addressing what happened on the airline flight,” says attorney Garry. “Mental health, especially these days, is an absolute thing. He was traveling back from his performances overseas feeling extremely dehydrated and exhausted.”
“Mr. Selby has accepted complete responsibly, is very remorseful for his conduct, and I am happy to report that he is doing great, is very positive, and glad to put this misdemeanor case behind him. He is looking forward to great things ahead, which I expect the world will see in the near future.”
The New York native —who was previously signed to Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music label— issued an apology to his fans and said that he would be taking a step back to focus on his mental health after performing at Rolling Loud Thailand.
“For the past few months, I have not been OK, and I have been struggling to come to terms with what is going on,” Desiigner shared in a lengthy Instagram Story. “While overseas for a concert I performed at, I had to be admitted into a hospital, I was not thinking clearly.”
He continued by mentioning he was on medication when he departed from his flight.
“I am ashamed of my actions that happened on that plane. I landed back to the States and am admitting myself in a facility to help me. I will be canceling all shows and any obligations until further notice,” he wrote. “Mental health is real guys, please pray for me. If [you’re] not feeling like yourself, please get help.”
We hope he gets the help he needs.
