Editor’s note: WBTW initially reported an incorrect guilty plea. Kodak Black pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of first-degree assault and battery.
FLORENCE COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) – Rapper Kodak Black appeared in court Wednesday on charges of raping a high school student after a concert in Florence in 2016.
He pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of first-degree assault and battery. The victim agreed to all conditions of the plea deal, according to 12th Circuit Solicitor Ed Clements, who said the victim was on screen in his office at the time.
Kodak Black, whose real name is Bill Kapri, was sentenced to 10 years suspended to 18 months probation with the condition that he takes full accountability for what happened and publicly apologizes, which he did in court. He must also undergo counseling.
“I apologize to Miss [victim’s name] and am hopeful we can all move forward,” Kapri said. “I wish her the best in her life.”
Baltimore Ravens Quarterback Lamar Jackson was with Kapri for his appearance. It’s unclear why he was there, but earlier this year he asked Trump to commute his sentence for making a false statement on federal documents while attempting to buy guns.
The “Tunnel Vision” star was charged with first-degree criminal sexual misconduct in 2016 after he was accused of attacking a teenage high school student in a hotel room after performing in Florence. According to the Florence County Sheriff’s Office, the teenager, who was from Richland, reported the crime to her school nurse.
In 2019, Black was sentenced to more than three years in federal prison after pleading guilty to weapons charges. He admitted he falsified information on federal forms to buy four firearms from a Miami-area gun shop on two separate occasions.
However, former President Trump granted a pardon to Black and others on the federal weapons conviction. Clements, at the time, said he was surprised by the pardon and that the rape charge from 2016 would still be pursued.
