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Singer Chris Brown has been slapped with two misdemeanor counts for illegal possession of a pet monkey he allegedly had without a permit, Page Six reports.
According to court papers released Dec. 27, the 29-year-old is set to be arraigned Feb. 6 in Los Angeles on two counts each of possession of a Capuchin monkey between Oct. 31, 2017, and Jan. 3 from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
TMZ reported earlier this year that authorities got a search warrant for Brown’s home after he posted a picture of his daughter, Royalty, holding the baby monkey, he named Fiji, on social media. He agreed to surrender the animal to avoid a raid.
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In a video posted on his Instagram account at the time, Brown is heard saying: “Royalty, is this your baby? I dunno – she’s gonna be bigger than you, man. Y’all got the same sized head.”
Fans were worried about Royalty, who was just 3 years-old at the time, being in such close contact with a wild animal. As noted by UK Metro, one commented: “He should be raising her to understand which animals should not be kept as pets,” while another stated: “With money comes great responsibility, too bad it doesn’t remove great stupidity as well.”
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After the entertainer willingly surrendered the monkey, his lawyer Mark Geragos said: “As I leave my office in Downtown L.A. and walk past people sleeping on the street on my way to defend people charged by the City Attorney with selling medical marijuana… now spending taxpayer money on investigating monkey business, this completes the circle on his absurdity.”
The R&B hit maker faces a maximum of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted.
It’s unclear where Fiji now lives.