Popular 2000s Rapper Faces 20 Years in Prison After Pleading Guilty to Heinous Crime

Rapper Mystikal has escaped a life sentence in prison after pleading guilty to a rape charge. But the “Danger” rapper now faces upwards of 20 years in the slammer as a result of his plea and crimes.

Mystikal, whose real name is Michael Tyler, is accused of beating, choking, and robbing a woman at his Ascension Parish home in Louisiana in 2022. The victim said Tyler took her keys and phone so she couldn’t leave, and while she was looking for her missing money, she was forcibly raped. 

She also alleges he forced her to send him money via CashApp after the assault. This is not the first time he’s been arrested and will serve time on similar charges, WBRZ reports.

He is already a registered sex offender, as he previously faced similar allegations in 2004 after sexually assaulting his hairstylist. That resulted in him spending six years in prison following the arrest and having to register as a sex offender upon his release.

USA Today reports he was originally facing 10 criminal charges, including first-degree rape, for the 2022 incident. In Louisiana, a guilty first-degree rape charge carries a life imprisonment, while third-degree rape carries a maximum of 25 years in jail, but his time will be capped at 20 years.

The victim said she went to the rapper’s home to talk about alleged financial commitments he had made to her. After he accused her of stealing money from him, she says he choked her, pulled out her hair, and raped her, The Advocate reported. She was treated for minor injuries at a hospital.

During the investigation, police obtained a search warrant for the rapper’s home where they allegedly recovered “valuable evidence to corroborate the victim’s account of the rape along with a variety of illegal narcotics.” He has been held without bond since his arrest.

He returned to music after being released from prison in 2010, but in 2016, he was again accused of sexual assault from an alleged encounter at a casino in Shreveport, Louisiana. He surrendered to authorities in 2017 and spent 18 months in jail before being released on a $3 million bond. The investigation was closed and charges were dismissed after a second grand jury declined to bring an indictment on that incident.