Celebrities Who Are Currently in - or Have Been to - Prison

Gary Glitter (born Paul Francis Gadd) was an English glam rocker in the early 1970s whose biggest hit in the U.S. was “Rock & Roll Part 2,” which was played frequently at sports events. His reputation was forever tarnished by a series of sex-assault crimes. In 1999, he was sentenced to four months in an English prison for downloading images of child pornography. Seven years later, he was convicted in Vietnam of committing obscene acts with girls ages 10 and 11, and sentenced to three years in prison. In February 2015, he was convicted in England of attempted rape, four counts of indecent assault, and one count of having sex with a girl under age of 13. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison. He is still incarcerated, but there are reports that he will be released early this year.

This notorious movie mogul became the face of the #MeToo movement. In February 2020, Weinstein was found guilty of rape and sexual assault and sentenced to 23 years in prison. In June 2021, a judge sitting in New York ordered him extradited to Los Angeles to face more crime charges, where he was again found guilty. Weinstein is eligible for parole on the original convictions in November 2040, when he’s 87. He was found guilty in his L.A. case. He was sentenced to 16 years for sexual assault charges.

This Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter (born Jeffrey Bruce Atkins), who appeared in the movie “The Fast and the Furious,” pleaded guilty in December 2010 to unauthorized gun possession and was sentenced to two years in state prison. Ja Rule was also sentenced to 28 months in federal prison for tax evasion for failing to pay taxes on more than $3 million in earnings.

James Brown was one of the most electrifying performers in musical history with songs such as “I Got You (I Feel Good),” “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag (Part 1),” and “Living in America.” Offstage, the “Godfather of Soul” had his share of run-ins with the law. In 1988, after a near deadly confrontation at an insurance seminar where he brandished a gun, Brown was convicted of assault, failure to stop for a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, carrying a pistol, and drug possession. He was sentenced to 6-1/2 years in prison. He served 15 months in jail and 10 months in a work-release program. He was paroled in 1991.

A British ex-actor, Waylett was known for playing the bully Vincent Crabbe in six of the eight “Harry Potter” films. His life off camera has been less magical. In March 2012, Waylett was sentenced to two years for violent disorder and one year for handling stolen goods. The sentences were to run concurrently.