Lawyer: Boy George No Cokehead
Boy George isn't ready to tumble 4 any drug charges.
At least that's the word Wednesday from the former Culture Club crooner's lawyer, as he and his star client turned up in a Manhattan criminal court to answer charges stemming from an Oct. 7 drug bust.
George, who's real name is George O'Dowd, faces one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fourth degree and filing a false police report. He is accused of calling 911 to report an early-morning burglary at his Big Apple apartment; when police arrived, they realized nothing had been taken but instead allegedly discovered 13 plastic bags of cocaine.
The singer did not enter a plea during the brief session. Instead, his lawyer, Louis Freeman, asked Judge Anthony Ferrara for a continuance to have more time preparing the popster's defense. Ferrara set a new hearing for Mar. 8.
The 44-year-old "Karma Chameleon" singer, swathed in a full-length black coat and black slacks and sporting a Star of David tattoo on his head, kept mum during his appearance. Asked by reporters if he was innocent as he exited the courthouse, Boy George muttered a "yes" but was otherwise silent. His attorney was a bit more effusive.
"In the strongest possible terms, George maintains his innocence," Freeman said. "He's going to fight them all the way."
George, who took time to embrace two female supporters before being driven away, has claimed the drugs were not his, saying he had no idea how they came to be in his home.
In an earlier interview with the New York Post, Freeman blamed the singer's active social life for the incident, saying George had "a lot of people in his house" and suggested one of them left the drugs.
"A man who has something to hide does not call police," Freeman added.
George documented his battles with addiction in his 1995 autobiography, Take It Like a Man. In the book, he said he kicked a heroin habit that wreaked havoc on his personal and professional life.
The androgynous entertainer was convicted in 1986 of heroin possession in England stemming from an incident in which two friends overdosed. He subsequently did a stint in rehab, but the fallout led to the breakup of Culture Club, which had sold more than 20 million albums worldwide on the strength of such hits as "Karma Chameleon," "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" and "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?"
In recent years, George has fashioned himself a new career as a deejay and record producer. With the backing of pal Rosie O'Donnell, he starred in and wrote the music for Taboo, a musical about the cross-dressing club world he helped popularize during the 1980s. After a successful run in London, the show briefly played on Broadway, but shuttered in 2004 after losing money.
Boy George is currently free on bail. If convicted of the drug charge, he could face up to a maximum of 15 years behind bars.
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