Chris Brown Pleads Guilty To Assault Charge In Physical Altercation Outside Downtown Washington Hotel-Singer’s Bodyguard Earlier Found Guilty In Case-

     WASHINGTON – Chris Brown, 25, pled guilty today to a misdemeanor charge of simple assault stemming from an incident that took place last year outside a hotel in downtown Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

     Brown appeared in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and entered the guilty plea before the Honorable Senior Judge A. Franklin Burgess, Jr.

     A second defendant, Christopher Hollosy, 36, was found guilty in April 2014 of simple assault following a trial before the Honorable Senior Judge Patricia A. Wynn, also in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Hollosy, of Glendale, Calif., is awaiting sentencing.

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

     According to a proffer of facts submitted as part of the plea, signed by the defendant as well as the government, the assault took place at about 2:25 a.m. on Oct. 27, 2013, near the front of the W Hotel, in the 500 block of 15th Street NW. The victim, a 20-year-old man, was standing with two female friends near the front of the hotel when Brown exited one of the entrances. The two women approached Brown, and asked him if they could take a picture with him. Brown agreed to the request, and one of the women handed Hollosy a cellphone to take the picture.

     While the women were posing for the photo, the victim attempted to take a picture with the group. A verbal altercation ensued, and Brown punched the victim in the face with a closed fist. As stated in the proffer of facts, Brown’s actions were not justified by self-defense. At no point did Brown observe the victim act as the initial aggressor against anyone on the scene.

     The charge of simple assault carries a statutory maximum of 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. Under the plea agreement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office agreed not to seek additional jail time for this offense. The office took into account the fact that Brown accepted responsibility for his criminal conduct and that he served about 80 days of incarceration for a probation violation in California related to his arrest in this case, as well as the views of the victim. Brown remains on probation in California until early 2015.

     Judge Burgess agreed with the government’s recommendation and sentenced Brown to time served. He also ordered Brown to pay $150 in court costs.

     In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of those who investigated the case for the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Kalisha Johnson-Clark and Lynette Briggs; Litigation Technology Specialists Aneela Bhatia, Anisha Bhatia, William Henderson, and Paul Howell; Criminal Investigator Melissa Matthews, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Trosman, Chrisellen Kolb, and John Mannarino, of the Appellate Section.

     Finally, he expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kendra Briggs and Kevin Andrew Chambers, who prosecuted the case.