Chris Brown's Pastor, Industry Insiders Begged Judge For Mercy
Aug. 26 2009, Published 10:28 a.m. ET
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Patricia Schnegg received three letters in support of Chris Brown before sentencing the convicted felon, according to documents obtained by RadarOnline.com.
On Tuesday, a judge sentenced the R&B singer to five years' probation and ordered him to do 180 days of community labor as a part of the plea deal he made in June for his February 8 assault on pop star Rihanna in Hancock Park, California.
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The common theme of the letters was that Brown, while guilty of the charges levied against him, has seen the error of his ways and is ready to make things right.
Barry Weiss, CEO and chairman RCA/JIVE Label Group, said Brown has handled the transition from a "country kid" into an international pop superstar with maturity, and was shocked to hear about the incident. He said he is convinced Brown has learned his lesson, and will move forward imparting that wisdom to his fan base.
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"He is 100% committed to taking responsibility and using his celebrity to increase awareness about all the issues he has raised," Weiss wrote.
Senior Pastor Samuel Harris Jr., whose son, J. Xavier toured with Brown, told the judge "God has personally revealed to me that Brown is chosen for a special purpose for our society and around the world."
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Harris said he feels a one-time incident should not define Brown's character.
Kenneth R. Meiseles, a New York attorney who represents Brown, described the Forever singer as "the person who has donated both his time and money to help children and the young man who has never previously been in trouble with the law."
Meiseles wrote Brown's considerable contributions to charities, such as St. Jude's Hospital, prove his services would be much better utilized in an ambassador-type role "used positively to help other people."
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Brown's next album is called Graffiti. In an ironic twist, the singer, in his sentence for the aforementioned attack on Rihanna, is required to complete 1,400 hours of community service, where his chief tasks will be washing cars, picking up trash and removing graffiti from walls.