Akon is set for an entanglement with the legal apparatus of the town of Fishkill, New York, having been charged with offences relating to his alleged hurling of a fan from the stage during a concert there last summer.
The R&B singer who likes to call himself "Konvict" will once again find himself in court after a concertgoer hit by the person Akon allegedly hurled into the audience filed a complaint against Akon to the Fishkill authorities.
The incident occurred at a June 3 concert at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, a town north of New York City. After audience members said a spectator lobbed something at Akon, the singer asked the crowd to point out the culprit. A security guard picked out a 15-year-old and sent him up to the stage, where the singer hoisted him onto his shoulders and flung him into the crowd.
The boy landed on Abby Rosa, who told a local newspaper the Poughkeepsie Journal she was later diagnosed with a concussion resulting from the falling boy. She said she hired a lawyer and spoke to Fishkill police about the incident.
Akon is scheduled to be arraigned on a misdemeanor charge of endangering the welfare of a minor and second-degree harassment next Monday morning, according to the Fishkill chief of police, Donald Williams. The singer's lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, released a statement a few days after the original incident saying there was no basis for criminal charges.
In April, Akon drew criticism for performing simulated sex with a 14-year-old girl at a concert in Trinidad. He later apologized, saying he didn't realize the girl was underage.
