A lot of reality stars seem to be having legal trouble lately. Sundy Carter used to boost merchandise, and Apollo Nida may have stolen a few identities. But what about the rest of Hollywood? We’ve got a star-studded list of criminals who prove that Hollywood can be a shadier place than you think.
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Tim Allen Sold Weight
Remember the TV show “Tool Time”? It’s star Tim Allen was arrested for possessing nearly 2 pounds of cocaine. How was he freed in time to go on to be a world famous face of kids’ programming? He became an informant against his fellow dealers and served just over 2 years behind bars.
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Mark Walhberg Committed a Hate Crime
Back before Mr. Wahlberg was Marky Mark, he assaulted a middle-aged Vietnamese man with a stick in a racially motivated attack. The man lost consciousness and was blinded in one eye. Mark served no jail time and went on to front the band Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch.
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James Lipton Was a Pimp
We know him as the cultured host of “Inside the Actor’s Studio.” France knows him as a pimp. Apparently he ran a “whole bordello” of women back in the day.
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Bill Murray Smuggled Mary Jane
Back when Bill Murray was 20, he was arrested at O’Hare Airport for trying to smuggle 10 lbs. of marijuana onto a plane.
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Martha Stewart Stole Millions
Martha is back in the spotlight and worth about $600 million. But back in 2004, she was convicted in an insider trading scheme that robbed stockholders of millions, leaving several of them near bankruptcy and unable to retire.
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Winona Ryder Stole Thousands
Winona wasn’t even broke when they caught her in a boutique stuffing several thousand dollars worth of merchandise in her purse. She got off with just three years probation — and a lot of directors keeping a close eye on her around the wardrobe department.
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Phil Spector Shot A Woman
Phil Spector was the magic behind music greats like Tina Turner, The Beatles and The Righteous Brothers. But then actress Lana Clarkson was found dead in his home.
Phil said the injury was self-inflicted, but several people came forward to say that Phil had been threatening people with guns for years so he probably did it. He almost got off, but after one mistrial, he ended up doing 19 years in prison.
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Danny Trejo Was the Real Deal
Danny’s tough guy roles aren’t all an act. At one time, Danny Trejo did 11 years in the penitentiary for a variety of drug, murder and robbery charges.
But after he was released, he kicked drugs, turned his life around and decided to be a role model — off-screen at least.
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Rip Torn Is a Maniac
The “Men In Black” star’s rap sheet is too long to list here so we’ll just do the highlights. Once on set, he attacked director Norman Mailer with a hammer and then tried to bite his ear off, Mike Tyson style.
Then, years later — when he was 80 — he got drunk, broke into a bank and waved a firearm around. But despite his pages-long rap sheet, Rip got off with a suspended sentence.
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Charlie Sheen Dodged A Lot of Bullets
The “Two and a Half Men” star’s rap sheet is filled with prostitute solicitation, domestic violence and drug charges. Then there was the time he (allegedly) shot his fiancé in the arm.
None of that stopped him from landing several movie and TV roles. Neither did the time that the police found him high and naked at the Plaza Hotel with a porn star locked in the bathroom.
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Robert Downey Jr. Was A Hot Mess
“Iron Man” has come a long way. He’s been arrested for drug and gun possession. And once he broke into his neighbor’s home and fell asleep in one of their bedrooms before he could break out again.
But despite all of his run-ins with the law, Robert has never spent more than a few months in jail.
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Fred Willard Is A Sex Offender
Remember Phil Dunphy’s sweet old dad from “Modern Family”? Back in 2012, the police caught him in a movie theater with his pants down…driving solo. But the judge agreed not to charge him if he promised to go to sex therapy.
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Laura Bush Committed Murder
Vehicular manslaughter to be exact. When she was in high school, she ran a stop sign and killed another teenager (and fellow classmate). No one was charged.
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Pinkberry’s Founder Beat A Man Half to Death
Enough people love Pinkberry for it’s co-founder Young Lee to be an honorary celebrity. And that celebrity beat a homeless man half to death with a tire iron when the homeless man flashed him a peek of an “obscene” tattoo on his belly. Young is now serving seven years in prison.
