Update 10/29/2020 9:28am:

Battle rapper Serius Jones, real name Saleem Bligen, was sentenced to three years in prison after taking a plea deal to settle his pimping and human trafficking case in Contra Costa County, California. 

Jones pleaded guilty to various charges, including pimping, assault, and dissuading a witness, which is a strike offense in California. The human trafficking charges were dropped, and Jones was ordered to pay $6,000 in restitution. He was also hit with a 10-year stay away order from the woman identifying him as her pimp. 

Jones was facing decades in state prison if convicted of all charges, and he denied he was guilty of a bulk of the charges in a jail phone call to fans. He stated, "I would never force a woman to do anything against her will. That’s not what I was raised as." He later added, "I'm sorry to my fans, I'm sorry to those who look at this like a disappointment. No one's more disappointed than me." 

Jones went on to speak about plans to live a more righteous life after his release, which could be in 2021 with good behavior. He stated, "For me to be real with myself, I wasn't living the most righteous life that i could live…even though my intentions were good, the road to hell is paved with good intentions." 

Source: Mercury News 

Original 06/01/2020 7:55pm:

According to reports, battle rapper Serius Jones, real name Saleem Bligen, has been locked up Contra Costa County Jail for months as he faces human trafficking, pimping, assault, robbery, and other felonies as part of an eight-count criminal complaint charges. The famed battle rapper was arrested on February 6 by Walnut Creek police. 

Prosecutors are alleging that Bligen “did willfully and unlawfully deprive and/or violate the personal liberty” of the victim, "Jane Doe," between July 31 and October 15 of last year. Allegations raised against Bligen also include an assault charge stemming from an October 15 altercation where he assaulted the woman “by means likely to produce great bodily injury,” in addition to stealing her 2007 Lexus vehicle. Court documents also state that Bligen attempted to dissuade the victim's cooperation with police after allegedly assaulting the woman and stealing her car. 

A GoFundMe campaign was set up for Bligen following his arrest in February to put toward legal fees. However, the campaign was only able to raise $110. 

 

Source: mercurynews.com