Dallas Austin Faces Jail Time In UAE
Grammy-winning R&B producer Dallas Austin pleaded guilty Sunday to charges of carrying cocaine into Dubai, and faces up to four years in prison.
The Atlanta producer, who has created tunes for Madonna, Janet Jackson and Sugababes, pleaded guilty in a Dubai court to charges of possessing 1.26 grams of cocaine. He will be sentenced Tuesday.
Austin told the judge that he'd made an unintentional mistake and didn't mean to break the law in the United Arab Emirates.
Austin was transported from a jail cell to the court, where he spent just a few minutes. He wore jeans and a white dress shirt, and sported a light goatee.
Standing before the judge as charges were read, Austin appeared confident and at one point winked at his phalanx of four lawyers, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Austin's multinational legal team was expected to seek a pardon from Dubai's ruler, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Pardons have been issued in similar cases, but the defendant still retains a criminal record and is usually deported.
Local media in Dubai reported that Austin was on his way to supermodel Naomi Campbell's birthday bash at the glitzy Burj al-Arab Hotel when he was arrested May 19 at Dubai's airport. Austin's lawyer disputed the reported nature of his visit, saying the producer was in Dubai to attend concerts.
Since his arrest Austin has been held without bail at Dubai's al-Rashidiya Police Station.
At Sunday's hearing, he was accompanied by four attorneys: Mohammad Al Reda of the UAE, Qays Hatem Al Zu'bi of Bahrain, Joel A. Katz the Atlanta law firm Greenberg Traurig and another American lawyer who declined to give his name.
The three-minute hearing was in a small courtroom with seating for about 55 people.
In 2003, Austin founded the Dallas Austin Foundation, which works to train youth for careers in the music and entertainment industries.
Austin has several hits to his credit, including Pink's "Just Like a Pill" and TLC's "Unpretty." He won a Grammy Award for best R&B album in 1999 for producing TLC's multiplatinum "Fanmail."