Celebrities are breaking the law. Many celebrities have been in jail, including comedian Tim Allen, housekeeping guru Martha Stewart, and actor Kiefer Sutherland. Mostly, these stars have committed minor DUI offenses or financial crimes.

But there are celebrities whose criminal activity is on an entirely different level and requires several years in prison. They have committed such horrific crimes that it is almost impossible for fans to forget about them. 

Suge Knight

Famous hip-hop label Death Row Records CEO Marion Hugh “Suge” Knight Jr. argued in January 2015 with a man named Cle “Bone” Sloan, who was working on the biopic “Straight Outta Compton,” The Cinemaholic reports. The conflict became so intense that Knight hit Sloan with his car and ran over a man named Terry Carter, who died from his injuries.

Three years later, Knight took a plea deal and was sentenced to 22 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter and six years for the “third strike” offense, for a total of 28 years in prison.

JARED FOGLE.

You probably remember a man named Jared Fogle from the Subway sandwich commercials. When he was just 20 years old, he weighed over 400 pounds.

According to NPR, in a 2015 plea deal with authorities, he admitted to receiving child pornography and having sex with minors. He traveled interstate to pay for sex and had 400 videos of illegal pornography. Fogle was sentenced to more than 15 years in prison and will not be eligible for parole until he has served at least 13 years.

MICHAEL JACE SMILES

In 2014, Michael Jace, who you may know from the television police drama “The Shield,” shot and killed his wife in front of their two children in their Los Angeles home. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison for the murder, CNN reported. The motive for the murder appeared to be jealousy. Spouse April Jace wanted a divorce, and the 53-year-old actor was sure she was dating another man.

HARVEY WEINSTEIN

Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein is in jail on charges against just two people – Miriam Haley and Jessica Mann – even though dozens of women (87 of them, according to USA Today) have come forward about the sexual harassment they suffered at his hands over the years. Weinstein was arrested in New York City and charged with rape, criminal sexual act, sexual assault and sexual harassment in 2018, Biography reported.

Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison and is a registered sex offender.

C-MURDER.

New Orleans rapper C-Murder, born Corey Miller, was found guilty of second-degree murder for the 2002 shooting death of teenager Steve Thomas at a nightclub. According to NBC News, the rapper began serving a life sentence in Louisiana state prison in 2009. But the rapper’s case took an unexpected turn: two key witnesses recanted their testimony after his incarceration.

In April 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that jury verdicts in felony cases must be unanimous. In Miller’s case, he was found guilty by a score of 10-2.

R. KELLY.

IN CHICAGO, Performer R. Kelly was arrested by federal authorities on July 11, 2019. According to the Chicago Tribune, he and several associates allegedly recruited young girls for sex, isolated them from their families and controlled them from seeking help.

Forbes reports Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison in June 2022 after being convicted of sex trafficking a year earlier and convicted of producing child pornography in September, with his attorneys asking that the sentence be limited to 11 years, according to Forbes.

OSCAR PISTORIUS

Olympic and Paralympian athlete Oscar Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at his home in Pretoria, South Africa, on Valentine’s Day in 2013.

Pistorius was released from prison after serving only one year. Authorities later overturned that conviction and charged him with murder, increasing his sentence by another 13 years and five months.

Shannon Richardson

According to the Texarkana Gazette, in 2013, actress Shannon Hess Richardson, known for the TV series “The Walking Dead,” pleaded guilty in 2013 to developing, manufacturing, possessing, and transferring a toxin with intent to use it as a weapon. She was arrested in 2013 and sentenced to 18 years in prison.

KID CREOLE.

In 2017, 61-year-old Glover was arrested and charged with second-degree murder after stabbing a man named John Jolly in the chest, and according to The Source, Glover and Jolly, a registered sex offender, got into an argument in downtown Manhattan.

It wasn’t until 2022 that Glover went to trial, which found him guilty of manslaughter and sentenced him to 16 years in prison, The New York Times reported.

RELATED.

Heard was selling drugs for profit and had a partner and a fleet of vehicles to transport cocaine to the right place.

In 2013, Heard was sentenced to 15 years in prison for buying and selling drugs in Chicago.

TODD AND JULIE CHRISLEY

Todd and Julie Chrisley gained quite a bit of notoriety for their reality show Chrisley Knows Best, which first aired in 2014.

Unfortunately, things got even more real when Todd and Julie were embroiled in a complicated lawsuit. According to ET, the couple was charged with tax evasion, conspiracy, bank fraud, and wire fraud on August 12, 2019. The case culminated on June 7, 2022, when both were found guilty on all charges, though they received separate sentences. According to CNN, Todd is serving a 12-year sentence at FMC Pensacola, and Julie is serving a seven-year sentence at FMC Lexington, Kentucky.

JOE EXOTIC.

Joe Exotic entered the public consciousness with the 2020 release of the hit Netflix series “King of the Tigers.” However, the highlight of that series was Exotic’s escalating conflicts with animal rights activist Carol Baskin, culminating in his attempt to eliminate her permanently by hiring a hitman for $3,000.

Of course, Exotic’s pattern of contract killings did not go unnoticed by authorities, nor did his other illegal actions. In 2020, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Oklahoma sentenced Exotic to 22 years in prison and three years of supervised release after serving his sentence.

JOSH DUGGAR.

As a reminder, Josh Duggar is known as one of the ten sons (among 19 children) of the Duggar family, the main character of the reality TV show “19 Kids and Counting.” Parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar openly talk about not using birth control, which is why many children are in the family.

Unfortunately, these strict religious beliefs haven’t stopped the Duggars’ oldest child, Josh Duggar, from committing various crimes. According to Newsweek, Josh first sparked controversy in 2015 when rumors spread that he allegedly molested several little girls, including his sisters. After he was charged with possession of child pornography, his troubles with the law worsened, and he pleaded not guilty and was sentenced to 12 years and seven months in prison.

RYAN GRANTHAM.

Young Canadian actor Ryan Grantham, whose career was promising until he abandoned it due to a terrible mistake.

According to The New York Times, Grantham’s successful Hollywood career ended after he shot his mother in the back of the head on March 31, 2020. Not long afterward, the violent criminal Grantham made a video confession and even planned to assassinate Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. After 14 years, Grantham was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

TORY LANEZ.

Tory Lanez (Daystar Shemuel Shua Peterson) is a rapper who first gained attention after her mixtape Conflicts of My Soul: The 416 Story in 2013.

What started as a successful hip-hop and R&B singer’s career ended after she was shot in 2020. Lanez shot famous singer Megan T. Stallion with an unregistered semi-automatic firearm, leaving her with minor injuries. He was found guilty of the charge and faced 22 years in prison.

AMY LOSHAN.

American actress Amy Locane first gained fame as Andrea Winger in the short-lived 1980s sitcom Spencer (Spencer).

According to The Guardian, Locane’s acting career went downhill when, in 2010, she drank too much while leaving a party to end a theater engagement and was involved in a two-car accident. The actress pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to five years in prison, which was reduced to three. However, Lockane’s “bean counters” didn’t end there: despite being granted parole, NJ.com reports that since her first conviction in 2012, she has been sentenced multiple times because the original sentences weren’t harsh enough (the latest ruling is critical) – eight years.

ALLISON MACK.

Allison Mack was an aspiring actress from a young age, first appearing in the 1989 film Police Academy 6: City Under Siege before she was even a teenager.

Mack’s acting career was cut short in 2018 when she was arrested for involvement in the self-help cult NXIVM, ET reported. The cult’s leader was Keith Raniere, and it was for him that Mack recruited young women as sex slaves. She ended up facing charges, including human trafficking. In 2021, the actress pleaded guilty and received two three-year sentences, which she will serve concurrently. Mack must pay $20,000 as part of her sentence and be placed on probation for another three years after serving her sentence at the Dublin Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Dublin, California.