Tony Yayo Receives Community Service
(February 18th)

G-Unit rapper Tony Yayo was sentenced Thursday (Feb. 14) to 10 days of community service after pleading guilty to harassment of a recording rival's 14-year-old son.

Yayo, whose real name is Marvin Bernard, admitted in Manhattan Criminal Court that on March 20, 2007, he got out of a sport utility vehicle and "glared" at James Rosemond Jr. in a way that was "meant to threaten physical violence."

The 29-year-old Bernard, an associate of rapper 50 Cent, initially was accused of slapping the boy, who is the son of Cynthia Reed and Jimmy "Henchman" Rosemond, Czar Entertainment executive and manager of one of Bernard's rivals, the Game.

Bernard's lawyer, Scott Leemon, filed court papers in January that showed that Bernard's acquaintance, Lowell Fletcher, had told police it was he who slapped the boy and Yayo pulled him away.

Fletcher's lawyer, Robert Macedonio, confirmed in January that police say his client gave them a statement that seemed to clear Yayo. It said in part:

"Fletcher saw a young boy wearing a Czar Entertainment T-shirt. Fletcher further stated that he slapped the boy across the face and began to grab the boy's shirt. At this point Marvin Bernard exited the vehicle, tried to restrain him (Fletcher) and get him back in the vehicle."

Bernard pleaded guilty to a violation, a lesser offense than a misdemeanor. He will do his community service at the Book Bank Foundation, an organization that promotes literacy.

Fletcher pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of endangering the welfare of a child for grabbing the teen. He received a nine-month jail sentence.

Reed, the boy's mother, issued a statement Thursday saying Bernard "tried to wiggle his way out of his role" in the incident but had to accept responsibility to get a plea deal. She demanded a public apology.