Desiigner has now had to face the music after pleading guilty to indecent exposure in court.
TMZ Hip Hop is reporting that the “Panda” rapper is scheduled to formally enter his plea on Friday (September 8). While a charge of indecent exposure on an aircraft is a misdemeanor that’s punishable by up to 90 days behind bars and a $500 fine if convicted, the Brooklyn native (real name Sidney Royel Selby III) will not be facing any jail time.
Instead, he will be receiving 2 years probation and 120 hours of community service. He will also have to pay a $5000 fine, and issue a public apology to the flight attendants for his behavior.
Desiigner was first charged with indecent exposure back in April.
The “Panda” rapper allegedly exposed himself “multiple” times while seated in the Delta One cabin, and allegedly masturbated during the flight, while he was en route to Japan.
Desiigner was reportedly handed an FAA violation card following the incidents, then moved to the rear of the plane with two travel companions to be monitored. Upon landing, he was detained and interviewed by the FBI.
He was charged in the state of Minnesota, as he was flying outbound from there to Japan.
The rapper then provided a statement to TMZ, in which he claimed his prescription medication was what caused the alleged incident, but that he’d been dealing with mental health struggles for quite some time, and he was finally going to seek help for them.
“For the past few months i have not been ok, and i have been struggling to come to terms with what is going on,” he began. “While overseas for a concert i performed at, i had to be admitted in to a hospital, i was not thinking clearly.”
He continued: “They gave me meds, and i had to hop on a plane home. I am ashamed of my actions that happened on that plane. I landed back to the states, and am admitting my self in a facility to help me. I will be cancelling all of my shows and any obligations until further notice. Mental health is real guys, please pray for me. If you’re [sic] not feeling like yourself please get help.”
Back in January, Desiigner ended his short-lived retirement with the release of a new song, “Bigger & Bigger.”
The rapper claimed that it was the death of Migos rapper TakeOff that inspired his sabbatical from the music industry, but that he realized he had to keep going because music was serving as his therapy.
“I’m not gonna stop. Music is my therapy,” Desiigner said on his IG Stories. “Lost a lot of bros this year. We all say things out of emotions but the truth is in me being able to let out a good cry [helped] me see things more clearer now. I’m excited to keep sharing the gift of music that God gave me to y’all.”
