Akon is a Senegalese singer, who is open about his time spent in jail for his “notorious car theft ring.” In most of his chart-topping music, the clang of a jail door slamming shut is a signature sound and he often utters the word ‘convict’ in his songs. These signify the three years he apparently spent in a Georgian prison for charges relating to car theft ring.
His nifty trick to remind people of his criminal credentials to boost a hardman image is pretty clever, because judging by his record sales, it has worked. However, an investigative website revealed that his criminal past seems to have been fabricated. Know more about Akon and his criminal past.
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Was Akon Involved In A Car Theft Ring?
According to a lengthy report on The Smoking Gun website, Akon’s criminal past seems to have been fabricated. As Akon claimed numerous times in interviews about his “notorious car theft ring”, he actually did not run it. The investigative website revealed that Aliaune Thiam -the real name of Akon– did not run a car theft ring nor did he serve jail time for the crime that supposedly inspired his 2004 album ‘Trouble’.
The site, which regularly posts public documents relating to everything from unreported crimes to outrageous band riders, is seeking to debunk what it claims are the numerous “exaggerated, embellished or wholly fabricated“ stories which Akon has perpetuated throughout his four-year career.
“While the performer’s rap sheet does include a half-dozen arrests, Akon has only been convicted of one felony, for gun possession,” the article states. “That 1998 New Jersey case ended with a guilty plea, for which the singer was sentenced to three years probation.” The article goes on to say that the singer spent some time in DeKalb county jail in Georgia while awaiting prosecution for possession of a single stolen BMW, but that all charges were dropped after “several months”.
How Did FBI Agent React To Akon’s Claims?
Akon has yet to respond to the website’s report, which was published yesterday. The Smoking Gun says numerous calls placed to Akon’s management and record label, Atlantic, were not returned. The site has gone to considerable lengths to prove that Akon was never the mastermind behind a “notorious car theft operation”, including interviewing FBI agent Peter McFarlane, who has worked on auto crime cases in Atlanta since 1972.
“Ah, this is bullshit. This guy is so phony. He’s an arrogant SOB,” McFarlane reportedly told the site when questions about the singer’s car-ring legacy were put to him. “I don’t think he had any role besides (wanting) to drive a high-dollar vehicle. And I say this because we didn’t link him to any other cars.”
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