Celebrities With Surprising Criminal Records

Being a celebrity may seem like a dream come true, but the reality is not as glamorous as many people think. With fame comes great responsibility and scrutiny from the public eye. Celebrities are often put on a pedestal and viewed as role models, but they are just human beings capable of making mistakes, just like us. While many celebrities use their platform for good, some have found themselves on the wrong side of the law. In this article, we will look at five celebrities with surprising criminal records. Let’s find out if you knew any of these famous people had a criminal past. \r \r 1. Larry King - Grand Larceny\r \r Larry King, award-winning television and radio host, had his embarrassing criminal record from 1967 resurface after the release of Louis E. Wolfson's biography. The book went into great detail about King's arrest for grand larceny in 1971. At the time, he was 38 years old and unable to pay back the money he owed to a financier. Although he eventually pleaded no contest, and the charge was thrown out because the statute of limitations had run out, the damage had already been done, and he was fired from his job at the WTVY station. Fortunately for him, his career saw a resurgence in 1978 when he became the host of his call-in radio show, The Larry King Show. The rest is history.\r \r 2. Martha Stewart - False Statements to Federal Investigators\r \r Martha Stewart, an American retail business woman known as the queen of home decor, had built an empire with a wide range of business ventures. Throughout her career, Stewart played up her innocent persona, but that all changed when she, in 2004, was convicted of felony charges related to the ImClone stock trading case. In 2001, Stewart sold her shares after receiving nonpublic information from her broker. In the following days, the stock value fell significantly and many people lost money. She was charged with conspiracy to obstruct and making false statements to federal investigators. She ultimately served a five-month sentence for lying about a stock sale.\r \r 3. Matthew McConaughey - Noise Complaint\r \r Matthew McConaughey, an American actor known for his good looks and charming personality, had a run-in with the law in 1999. Police responded to a noise complaint and found McConaughey dancing naked while possessing a bongo at his rental unit in Texas. In his memoir titled Greenlight, the Dazed and Confused actor details the experience, including why he refused to put pants on as he was brought to the police station. He was fined $50 for the noise offense, and all other charges were dropped, but his mugshot can still be found online to this day.\r \r 4. Danny Trejo - Robbery and Selling Narcotics to Federal Agents\r \r Danny Trejo, an Oscar-nominated actor known for his tough-guy persona roles on the big screen, spent over ten years in prison for crimes like robbing a liquor store and selling illegal substances to undercover federal agents. Trejo was in and out of jail for 11 years, but despite his past, Trejo was able to turn his life around and become a successful actor starring in films like Spy Kids, Desperado, Machete and Anaconda.\r \r 5. Jay-Z - Assault\r \r Jay-Z, born Shawn Corey Carter, grew up in the infamous Marcy Projects in Brooklyn, New York. Turning to music as a way to escape reality, his career finally started to take off towards the end of 1999. However, during this time, he was arrested for assaulting record producer Lance Rivera at the Kit Kat Club in New York City. After pleading guilty in 2001, he received three years' probation.\r \r