A Philadelphia judge is
giving Robert Williams at least three months to earn back his status as rapper
Meek Mill. Common Pleas Judge Genece Brinkley on Friday ordered Mill to serve
90 days on house arrest, effective March 1, for violating the terms of his
parole in a 2009 drug and gun case. Mill was found in violation of his parole
in December. He blamed his erratic concert schedule, but Philadelphia
prosecutors linked the problem to his romance with Nicki Minaj, who sat in the
front row for Friday's hearing. Before the judge issued his sentence, Mill -
who has alternately complained about probation and credited the judge with
helping him succeed - thanked her for giving him a chance, regardless of her
decision. "I just want to ask you for a chance to turn that corner and be
a changed man," he said. "You said you saw something in me ... I want
to prove you right. I believe I can be the bright star you intended me to
be." Mill cannot work during the three-month period and must do daily
community service with groups serving adults, not the young people who idolize
him.
In the seven weeks
since his last court hearing, Mill has visited several high schools, including
a local boys' charter school, where he urged students to work hard before
letting them take photographs with him. Brinkley also sentenced Mill to six
more years of probation. The judge has kept tight reins on the 28-year-old Mill
after giving him a break in his initial case. She once sent him back to jail
and this time threatened to send him to state prison for two years. Prosecutors
described violations that include unapproved travel to New York for a benefit
concert and efforts to join Minaj in various cities. They also said he turned
in cold water instead of urine for a drug test, making the judge question if a
prior problem with painkillers was at issue. Minaj told the judge in December
that she was trying to help her boyfriend become more organized and responsible.
They have been frequently been seated courtside at the Philadelphia 76ers games
for the past two months, since Brinkley ordered Mill not to leave the
Philadelphia area. Minaj did not testify Friday. At one point during the
judge's remarks, she appeared to have been crying. The sentencing followed a
four-hour hearing that included testimony on Mill's behalf from a life coach
and the principal of Boys Latin High School, which Mill had visited Thursday,
along with music executive Kenny Gamble and others.
