Chris Brown Spared Jail Time for D.C. Fisticuffs

WASHINGTON (CN) - Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown pleaded guilty Tuesday morning to punching a fan in front of a hotel in October 2013.

Brown was on probation at the time for assaulting his former girlfriend, singer Rihanna.

"As Chris Brown himself has now finally acknowledged, he punched a man in the face without provocation," U.S. Attorney Ronald Machen Jr. said in a statement. "No matter your status or celebrity, you will be held accountable for such conduct in our city."

Brown, 25, made the plea before Judge A. Franklin Burgess Jr., in Washington, D.C., Superior Court.

The victim, a 20-year-old man, was standing with two female friends near the front of the W Hotel in Downtown Washington, D.C., in the early morning hours of Oct. 27, 2013, as Brown was leaving the hotel.

Prosecutors said the women had asked Brown if they could take a picture with him. Brown agreed, but an argument erupted and ultimately ended with Brown punching the man in the face.

The charge of simple assault carries a maximum of 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine, but Judge Burgess accepted the district's request for a sentence of time served based in part on "the views of the victim."

Prosecutors also noted that "Brown accepted responsibility for his criminal conduct" and has already served 80 days in California because the charge violated his parole in the Rihanna assault. Brown remains on probation in California until early 2015.

Judge Burgess ordered the artist to pay just $150 in court costs.

A second defendant, Christopher Hollosy, 36, was found guilty in April 2014 of simple assault in the same court. Hollosy, of Glendale, Calif., awaits sentencing.

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