Rapper and entrepreneur Rick Ross has been arrested in Miami Beach following allegations that he assaulted a woman he had been living with.
Ross, whose legal name is William Roberts II, turned himself in at the Miami Beach Police Station early Thursday, two days after the woman reported the alleged incident to police.
According to online court records, the 50-year-old rapper faces a felony charge of battery by strangulation and a separate misdemeanor battery charge. He was later released from jail on a $5,000 cash bond, with his arraignment scheduled for October 22, the AP reported.
The allegations stem from an incident the woman said occurred on August 28 while she was living with Ross. An arrest report indicates that she told Miami Beach detectives Ross accused her of being unfaithful before allegedly striking her several times.
She also alleged that Ross choked her using the collar of her shirt and slammed her against a wall. According to her account, she eventually managed to leave the residence and returned later to retrieve her belongings after Ross had left.
Ross has denied the allegations through his attorney, Steve Sadow, who described the case as a wrongful accusation by an ex-girlfriend.
“The ex did not even file a police report until a month after the claimed incident allegedly took place,” defense attorney Steve Sadow said in the statement. “Mr. Roberts is innocent and has pled not guilty to the charges. He respectfully requests that his friends, fans and the general public not prejudge the situation and allow the judicial process to run its course.”
The latest case adds to a history of legal troubles involving the rapper. In 2017, Ross pleaded no contest to an aggravated assault charge stemming from allegations that he forced a man into a guesthouse at his suburban Atlanta mansion in 2015 and assaulted him with a handgun.
Georgia court records show that Ross was placed under a first-offender programme, after which the court issued an order exonerating him of guilt on the felony count.
Away from the courtroom, Ross has built a lengthy career in music and business, becoming one of the most recognisable figures to emerge from South Florida’s hip-hop scene.
He rose to prominence in 2006 with his debut single, “Hustlin’,” which helped trigger a bidding war before he eventually signed with Def Jam Records, then headed by Jay-Z. The song was certified platinum twice by the Recording Industry Association of America.
His debut album, “Port of Miami,” also achieved platinum status and opened at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Ross followed it with a run of commercially successful albums, including 2008’s “Trilla” and 2009’s “Deeper Than Rap.”
Ross has received nine Grammy Award nominations and, in 2008, established Maybach Music Group (MMG), a label that helped launch or strengthen the careers of artists including Wale, Meek Mill and French Montana.
His latest album, “Set In Stone,” was released in July.
