BRUNO MARS MAKES PLEA DEAL OFFICIAL
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R&B star Bruno Mars has made his plea deal official after admitting to a charge of possession of a controlled substance relating to his drug arrest in Las Vegas last year (10).
The Grenade singer, real name Peter Hernandez, was arrested in September (10) after a bathroom attendant at the Hard Rock Hotel allegedly caught him with a bag of cocaine.
He was hit with a felony count for drug possession and faced up to four years behind bars and a $50,000 fine if convicted.
But Bruno Mars struck a plea deal with prosecutors for a "deferred adjudication" last month (Jan11), allowing him to avoid a conviction if he stays out of trouble for the next year.
He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of possession of a controlled substance in court on Friday (04Feb11).
He will be formally sentenced to 200 hours of community service at his next court date on 14 February (11), when he will also be ordered to attend private counselling sessions.
The charge will be dismissed in 2012 if Bruno Mars obeys the terms of the deal.
The sentencing hearing takes place a day after the 2011 Grammy Awards, where Mars is nominated for an impressive seven prizes.