Rapper Cardi B heads to court in New York over strip club fight

[December 03, 2018]  By Gabriella Borter

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Rapper Cardi B was due to appear in New York City criminal court on Monday facing charges of assault and reckless endangerment in connection with a fight at a strip club.

The 26-year-old performer, whose real name is Belcalis Almanzar, surrendered to police in October after being accused of involvement in the Aug. 15 incident at the Angels NYC strip club in the borough of Queens.

Jeff Kern, a representative for the rapper, told reporters at the time of her arrest, "We're aware of no evidence that she caused anybody any harm at the club that night."

According to the New York Times, Cardi B accused one of two sisters who tend bar at the club of having an affair with her husband, Offset, who is part of the rap trio Migos.

Citing police, the newspaper said Cardi B's bodyguards and members of her entourage attacked the sisters with bottles and chairs.

Kern and Cardi B's agents did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.

Joe Tacopina, an attorney representing the two bartenders, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Cardi B leaves the 109th Precinct in Queens, New York, U.S., October 1, 2018. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon

Cardi B, a two-time Grammy award nominee, has topped music charts in recent years with hits "Bodak Yellow" and "Girls Like You," a collaboration with Maroon 5.

She has also made headlines for an ongoing feud with rapper Nicki Minaj, with whom she had a physical altercation during an event at this year's New York Fashion Week.

Celebrity news website TMZ reported on Friday that Minaj hired the two bartenders from Angels NYC to perform alongside her in a music video.

(Reporting by Gabriella Borter; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

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