Flavor Flav Avoids Jail Time, Pleads Guilty to Speeding to Mother’s Funeral. After his sentencing, Drayton thanked his attorney, Todd Greenberg of Queens, who he called “The Man”
Flavor Flav received a sweet no-jail deal Tuesday after pleading guilty to speeding to his mother’s funeral on Long Island last year.
Prosecutors had been hoping the rapper would agree to a six-month jail sentence, but settled on time served in Nassau Criminal Court.
The Public Enemy founding member was going 79 miles per hour with marijuana in his possession, prosecutors charge, when he was pulled over on the Meadowbrook State Parkway on Jan. 9, 2014.
In a court appearance in late January, the controversial rapper told reporters “I don’t like the circumstances, but I like the attention.”
Flav, who was born William Drayton Jr., pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of unlicensed aggravated operation of a motor vehicle. He was sentenced to just the few hours he served while he was in custody following the bust.
He could have faced four years in prison.
After the hearing, Flavor Flav thanked the judge for “being compassionate,” Newsday reported. He also was grateful to local authorities for getting him to the funeral following the arrest 21 months ago.
“I just want to thank that lieutenant over at the state trooper police station in Valley Stream for getting me to my mother’s grave site in his own personal family car,” Flavor Flav said Tuesday, according to Newsday. “He was the greatest.”
Flav was also arrested in May in Las Vegas for driving under the influence, speeding, marijuana possession and having an open container of alcohol.
He also pleaded guilty last year to attempted battery for wielding a knife during an argument with his longtime girlfriend’s teen son. He faced 12 years in prison, but only served probation and underwent counseling.
Flav has had his license suspended at least 15 times, prosecutors have said.