14 Celebrities Who Have Been in Prison

Brushes with the law are a very common thing and can happen to anyone, even to celebrities.  Just because they have fame and fortune, that doesn’t mean that the penal code doesn’t apply to them when they break the law, just like it does to any other offender.

14 PHOTOS

1. Lindsay Lohan

In 2007, Lohan was arrested for a DUI and cocaine possession but she was sentenced to only one day in prison and was placed on three years of probation. She however violated her probation multiple times and got sentenced to 90 days in prison in 2010, but was released after only two weeks. In the next couple of years, she’s been in and out of jail for multiple reasons such as drug use, theft, and assault.

2. Sean Penn

Even though this Oscar-winning actor was arrested multiple times because of his violent outbursts, he was sent to jail only once. While on the set of the movie Colors, Penn punched an extra. Since the actor was already on probation at the time due to previous assault charges, he got sentenced to 60 days in prison.

3. Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart spent five months in a federal prison in West Virginia in 2004 because she lied to Investigators about the reason why she sold stocks in 2001, which she suspiciously did right before the value of the stock plummeted. She was blamed for having insider information about the stocks which is a serious offense.

4. Robert Downey Jr.

In 1996 this beloved actor was stopped for speeding and the police found a pistol, cocaine, and heroin in his car. Just two weeks after that incident, Downey broke into his neighbor’s home and was sent to prison in 1997. In 1998 he was released on probation which he violated, so in 1999 he found himself in a jail cell once again.

5. O.J. Simpson

This football star and actor was charged with 33 years in prison in 2008 for kidnapping and an armed robbery in Las Vegas. Simpson only served 9 years of his sentence and was released in 2017. On the other hand, there was a serious case of murder led against him back in 1994. Namely, his ex-wife and her lover were killed in front of O. J’s house and even though all the evidence was against him, the verdict said ‘not guilty.’ Later, O.J Simpson wrote a book about this crime named ‘If I Did It. The book was published in 2007.

6. Michelle Rodriguez

In 2004, this actress was put on probation due to drunk driving violations and a hit-and-run. However, Rodriguez violated her probation so in 2007 she was sentenced to six months in prison. Rodrigues is famous for her role in the ‘Lost’ series where she played the police officer Ana-Lucia Cortez.

7. Mark Wahlberg

When Wahlberg was 16 years old, he was caught stealing beer. In an attempt to escape the situation, he assaulted two people but was eventually arrested and sentenced to two years in prison. However, after serving his sentence for only 45 days, he was released. Mark was generally a troublesome teenager. Allegedly, he broke the law about 20 times and was even caught dealing drugs but after he spent 45 days in prison, he realized that it was better to change his life for the better and left the prison as a changed person.

8. Christian Slater

Slater was another actor who had a few run-ins with the law. In 1989 he was arrested for a DUI and he spent 10 days in prison. His next offense happened in 1997 when he assaulted his girlfriend and a police officer while he was under the influence of drugs and alcohol and was sentenced to three months behind bars.

9. Don King

In 1967, King had an argument with one of his employees who owed him money. The two had an argument and the boxing promoter stomped the employee to death. He was charged with nonnegligent manslaughter and was sentenced to three years and eleven months in prison.

10. Mike Tyson

In 1992, Mike Tyson was accused of rape and the boxer was convicted and sentenced to six years of prison. However, after serving three years of his sentence he was released on parole in 1995. His boxing career lasted from 1985 to 2006 and was full of ups and downs. Even though he got more than $300 million for his fights, he declared bankruptcy in 2003.

11. Chris Brown

In 2009, Chris Brown assaulted his then-girlfriend Rihanna and was sentenced to five years of probation. He was sent to rehab but violated his probation when he was kicked out of the rehab facility in 2014, and he was sentenced to a year in prison.

12. Justin Bieber

In 2014, Bieber got arrested for a DUI, driving with an expired license, drag racing, and underage drinking. Even though he was charged with serious offenses, the singer only spent a day in jail. He said he didn’t like that day spent in jail and that he was not guilty of anything he was accused of. He blames the ‘fame-chasing’ police officers who arrested him.

13. Bill Cosby

In 2018 Cosby was accused of drugging and sexual assault by a woman called Andrea Constand, and the beloved actor and entertainer were sentenced to 3 to 10 years in prison.

14. James Brown

In 1988, Brown was involved in a high-speed police chase. He was ordered by the police officer to stop multiple times which he refused. Because of the incident, the singer was sentenced to six years and six months in prison. He was released after three years and stayed out of trouble for long ten years. Then, in 1998, he was charged with drug possession and was forced to enter a drug treatment program that lasted for 90 days.