Justin Bieber pleads no contest in vandalism case
LOS ANGELES - Justin Bieber must pay $80,900 in damages and serve two years on probation after pleading no contest Wednesday to a misdemeanor vandalism charge for throwing eggs at a neighbor's home.
Bieber also was ordered to complete five days of community labor and a 12-week anger management program, and to stay away from the victim and his family for two years.
The 20-year-old Grammy-nominated singer was not present for the arraignment in California. Bieber's lawyer, Shawn Holley, entered the plea on his behalf.
A spokeswoman for Bieber said he's glad to have the matter resolved and behind him.
Prosecutors spent months deciding whether to file charges after the January incident. They considered felony charges because the damage was said to be more than $400, the threshold for a felony.
Deputy District Attorney Alan Yochelson said Wednesday he was satisfied with the misdemeanor charge and called egg throwing an "extremely immature and a silly act."
The singer's mansion was searched Jan. 14, and detectives later filed a search warrant to obtain images from Bieber's Instagram account to match them to surveillance footage taken from his home. A detective wrote that a person matching Bieber's description was seen high-fiving his friends after running toward a neighbor's home, but footage of the egg attack was not captured.
Bieber was not arrested during the search of his home, but his friend and personal manager Xavier Domonique Smith was charged with felony drug possession. Smith, an aspiring rapper who goes by the name Lil Za, pleaded no contest to felony possession of Ecstasy and was sentenced to probation and a drug treatment program.
Bieber has since moved into a Beverly Hills condominium.
Bieber faces two other cases in Florida and Toronto. A Miami court has set a trial date this month for his driving under the influence case, which also includes charges that he resisted arrest without violence and was driving with an expired license.
A preliminary toxicology report showed that the singer tested positive for marijuana and the anti-anxiety drug Xanax after his arrest.
The singer turned himself in to Toronto authorities Jan. 29 on a charge that he assaulted a limo driver in late December.
Bieber gained stardom with his debut album at age 15 and his career has been guided by a pair of music industry heavyweights, singer Usher and manager Scooter Braun. He was nominated for two Grammy Awards for his 2010 full-length album debut "My World 2.0," but his popularity has waned.