Felicia "Snoop" Pearson, 31, who appeared on the critically acclaimed show The Wire, pleaded guilty this week to conspiracy to sell heroin.
Pearson, who is openly lesbian, was arrested in a raid in her hometown of Baltimore, where the HBO series took place. She was sentenced to seven years in prison, with all of the time suspended except for the five months she served while awaiting trial under house arrest. According to the Baltimore Sun, she could be sent to prison if she violates parole within the next three years.
Pearson told the press that she took a plea deal to allow her to move on with her life.
A prosecutor said Pearson allowed two heroin dealers to use her apartment for drug transactions. The prosecutor also said Pearson sold the drug as well. Her attorney Benjamin Sutley, however, said that the statement of facts was only partially true, and he believes the lesbian actress was being roped into a larger conspiracy.
"There's a whole other side to it," Sutley said in the Sun's report.
In 2002, Pearson joined the cast of The Wire as a character with the same name. She told The Advocate, as the final season was about to air in 2008, that she hoped her portrayal of Snoop could help change the face of gay characters on television.
"I hope I broke the mold for my gay people," she said. "Just let 'em know; you don't have to hide it. People are gonna accept it or they gonna reject it. So what?"
Follow SheWired on Twitter!
Follow SheWired on Facebook!
