11 Celebrities Accused of Heinous Crimes
Stars whose deeds nearly cost them their legacies.
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Celebs Accused of Heinous Crimes - Stars find themselves in trouble with the law on a regular basis, for everything from DUIs to IRS troubles, but some stars have been accused of crimes so bad they can only be called heinous. Here's our list of some of the — allegedly — worst celebrity offenders.(Photos from left: REUTERS/Brad Rickerby/File Photo /Landov, Evan Vucci/AP Photo)
Photo By Photos from left: REUTERS/Brad Rickerby/File Photo /Landov
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Bill Cosby - Accusations of sexual misconduct have dogged the comedy icon for decades but came to a crescendo last year when more than 50 women came out of the woodwork to make claims of rape and abuse. In June, Cosby was brought to trial by Andrea Constand, who claimed he drugged and assaulted her. The case would result in a mistrial, with a new trial scheduled for November.(Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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Woody Allen - The film legend raised a lot of eyebrows when he married his adopted daughter, Soon Yi Previn, but that's more creepy than heinous. The allegations that he sexually abused his biological daughter, Dylan Farrow, however, crossed the line. Allen has dismissed the claims, saying that Dylan has been brainwashed by her mother, Allen's ex-wife, Mia Farrow. (Photo: Aaron Davidson/Getty Images)
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Cool C - The Pennsylvania rapper was sentenced to the death penalty for his part in a 1996 bank heist that left a police officer dead. Cool C continues to maintain his innocence in the case, but will eventually be executed as he's currently on death row.(Photo: Atlantic Records)
Photo By Photo: Atlantic Records
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Bishop Eddie Long - Bishop Eddie Long, the pastor of a Georgia megachurch, has been accused of luring young men into sexual relationships. Though he denies all the allegations, Long settled with the five men who accused him of sex abuse for close to $1 million. (Photo: John Amis-Pool/Getty Images)
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Kevin Clash - The man known as the Voice of Elmo found himself leaving Sesame Street after a series of men came forward claiming he sexually abused them when they were minors. Though all of the suits against Clash were dismissed because too much time had passed and there was a lack of credible evidence, the scandal cost him his career. (Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
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Michael Jackson - The allegations that Michael Jackson had molested a host of young children launched an intense and embarassing criminal investigation. Though Jackson was cleared legally of the charges, it was too late to reverse public opinion. Sadly, the accusations didn't cease after Jackson's death in 2008: two men came forward in the past year alone with fresh claims that Jackson had molested them when they were kids. (Photo: Phil Dent/Redferns)
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Phil Spector - Considered one of the most influential men in music history, Spector is spending his would-be retirement years in prison. The music producer was convicted in 2009 in the shooting death of Lana Clarkson and sentenced to 19 years to life behind bars.(Photo: Al Seib-Pool/Getty Images)
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Miles Davis - The legendary jazz trumpeter made beautiful music for the world, but behind closed doors had a long history of domestic violence. It is said that Davis beat and abused both his wives, former Broadway dancer Francis Davis and actress Cicely Tyson. (Photo: Ron Wolfson /Landov)
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James Brown - The godfather of soul was known for giving the world funk, but his later years were characterized by arrests, domestic violence and rape claims. Brown had been charged with felony domestic violence several times in the '80s and '90s, and in 2005 was sued for raping a woman in the back of a van.(Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
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