新澳门开奖结果

25 Famous People Who Are Still In Prison

Originally published by Diana K in March 2023 and updated by Ruth in May 2024

The law is the law and even famous people break the law and pay for it legally. From entertainment icons to political heavyweights, no one is immune to the consequences of their actions. Behind the walls of many prisons are people whose stories have captured the public’s attention and continue to do so. Prison is where the most illustrious names like R Kelly, Joshua Duggar and Oscar Pistorius to name but a few have traded their red carpets for prison garb. While some famous people have been incarcerated for blatant abuse of the law but others are prisoners of conscience, nevertheless, all of them are in prison. Behind these fortified walls, the once-glamorous and celebrated now lead a life of confinement and introspection, paying their debt to society just like any other inmate. Here are 20 famous people who are still in prison, serving out their sentences for crimes that cover the spectrum. Despite years, and sometimes decades, behind bars, these individuals remain household names and their stories continue to captivate us.

Famous People in Prison for Sexual Offences

1. Gary Glitter 鈥� Rock Star

Image by Andy Thornely from

Gary Glitter whose real name is Paul Francis Gadd is a former rock singer and composer. The 1970s hits  hit nd Roll and  I Love You Love Me Love  were is breakout singles. He produced high-energy performances in flamboyant stage costumes. The former British glam rock singer was a serial sex offender and had been arrested a couple of times. He was sentenced to 4 months in an English prison for downloading child pornography In 1999.

He was sentenced to a 3-year prison term in Vietnam for committing obscene acts with underage girls. Later in England, he was convicted for attempted rape and indecent assault, involving three young girls that were committed between 1975-1980. The sentence handed down to him for this crime was 16 years behind bars.

From the UK too: Famous Prioners of the Tower of London.

2. Jared Fogle – Actor

Image of Jared Fogle Prison ID by United States Bureau of Prisons from

Fogle gained national attention in the late 1990s and early 2000s for his over 200 pounds weight loss which he attributed to eating 2 Subway sandwiches a day. He is a former spokesperson for the fast food restaurant chain Subway. Jared Fogle starred in over 300 Subway TV commercials. As an actor, he is known for Jack and Jill (2011), Sharknado 2: The Second One (2014) and Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! (2015). He pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography and paying for sex with underage girls. For the crime, he got 15 years and 8 months in federal prison. Fogle’s actions and crimes were widely condemned and Subway distanced itself from him. His earliest possible release date is March 2029.

3. Joshua Duggar 鈥� Reality TV Star

Joshua Duggar is the eldest child of the Duggar family, the subject of the reality TLC series   19 Kids and Counting (2008). The father of six was accused in 2015 of molesting 5 underage girls including his own sis. He further admitted to cheating on his wife and also to having a pornography addiction. These revelations led to the cancellation of his family’s reality show. While the wife was expecting their seventh child in 2021 he was arrested on two federal charges of receiving and possessing child pornography. The judge sentenced him to over 12 years and 7 months which saw him committed to Federal Correctional Institution, Seagoville in Texas.

Related Read: Top 10 Famous Irish American Gangsters.

4. William Hayden -Actor

Currently cooling his heels in the largest prison in the U.S.: Angola at Louisiana State Penitentiary. William Michale Hayden is a former American gunsmith, television personality, U.S. Marine, former gun shop owner, and convicted child molester. He is best known as the star of the 2011鈥�2014 Discovery Channel reality series Sons of Guns. He is known for The Outsider (2014) and Fox and Friends (1998). He went to prison in 2017 for aggravated rape and one count of forcible rape.

In her testimony, a 15-year-old girl narrated how Hayden raped her multiple times when she was between 11 and 12 years old. This led to the former gun shop owner and marine being sentenced to two life sentences, to run concurrently, plus 40 years, to run consecutively. He’s not eligible for probation, parole or a suspended sentence. As if that was not enough in July 2017 he was sentenced to a third life sentence for rape plus 10 years for aggravated incest of his daughter.

5. R. Kelly – Composer

Image by Miami Police Department from

The case of R. Kelly is one of the most scrutinized legal proceedings in and out of the court. Some people are calling for a boycott of his work, while others argue that his music should be separated from his personal life and actions. The Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and record producer has sold over 75 million records worldwide.

However, Kelly’s career has been marred by allegations of sexual misconduct, abuse and exploitation. The release of a documentary series, Surviving R. Kelly, which aired in January 2019 only fueled the fire. A New York court jailed him for 30 years in 2022, he was for sex trafficking and racketeering. nIna second federal trial in Chicago months later, he was convicted of child sexual abuse too.

Get Your Lyrics Right:50 Most Memorable Song Lyrics of all Time.

6. Darren Sharper – Ex-Football Player

Image by Tulane University from

Darren Sharper’s fall from grace was a shock to many in the NFL community. A member of the NFL’s 2000s All-Decade Team, Sharper enjoyed a highly successful collegiate and professional career and is one of the high-profile professional athletes currently serving time. He pleaded guilty to charges of drugging and raping women and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. The crime involved serial drugging and raping of “as many as 16 women in four states which he committed with a former cop, Brandon Licciardi who would drug women with sedatives or anti-anxiety medication so Sharper could rape them.

10 Most Famous 1930s Gangsters Mobsters.

7. Danny Masterson – Actor

, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In 2017, the Los Angeles Police Department began a sexual assault investigation into Masterson after three women came forward with allegations against him. In each case, all of which occurred at Masterson’s home between 2001鈥�03, the women said Masterson gave them alcohol and then, when they became disoriented, took them to his bedroom and violently raped them. Masterson, who proclaimed his innocence, was arrested on three counts of forcible rape in early 2021.

A first trial in 2022 ended in a hung jury; a retrial the following year ended with Masterson convicted of two of the three counts of forcible rape. He was sentenced to 30 years to life (with the earliest possibility of being paroled coming after serving 25 and 1/2 years). He is incarcerated in California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo. 

8. Mel Hall – Former professional baseball player 

Once Hall’s career with the New York Yankees ended, he became a girls’ youth sports coach for both basketball and softball. As the coach, Hall would earn the trust of families of young girls on his teams that he liked and move into a family’s home in one circumstance and sexually abuse the girls.

In 2007, two of his victims found each other online including one who was just 12 when Hall first assaulted her and went to the police. Hall was arrested, found guilty at trial, and convicted on three counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and two counts of indecency with a child. He received a sentence of 45 years in prison with no chance of parole for 22 years and 4 months. Hall is incarcerated at H. H. Coffield Unit in Tennessee Colony, Texas

9. Josh Duggar – Former reality television personality

In 2016, In Touch magazine obtained a police report that implicated Duggar as having molested numerous children including his sisters when he was a teenager. The release of the police report eventually led to a federal investigation of Duggar. After the authorities found child sexual abuse images on Duggar’s computer at his used car dealership, they arrested Duggar on federal charges of receiving and possessing child sexual abuse images. Duggar was found guilty and sentenced to 12 years and 7 months in prison. He is serving his sentence at the Federal Correctional Facility (FCI) Seagoville in Texas.

10. Harvey Weinstein –  Film producer 

, , via Wikimedia Commons

After years of rumours, the New York Times published an investigation into Weinstein featuring the accounts of over a dozen women accusing the producer of sexual harassment and abuse. Weinstein was found guilty and sentenced to 23 years in jail; he subsequently was tried in Los Angeles for more crimes and sentenced to 16 additional years.  British prosecutors, meanwhile, have authorized police to charge Weinstein with two counts of indecent assault against a woman in London in 1996. Weinstein is serving his sentence in New York State’s Mohawk Correctional Facility.

Famous Tax Evasion & Economic Crimes Prisoners

11. Todd Chrisley & Julie Chrisley- Reality TV Stars

Image by USA Network from

Todd and Julie Chrisley are a married couple who gained fame for their reality TV show, Chrisley Knows Best. The show premiered in 2014 and followed the lives of the Chrisley family, including Todd, Julie and their five children. Todd was a real estate tycoon known for his extravagant lifestyle and his outspoken personality on the show. In June 2022 he and his wife Julie were found guilty of tax evasion and conspiracy to defraud banks out of more than $30 million in fraudulent loans. In November 2022 he was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison and began serving his sentence in January 2023 in Pensacola, Florida. On the other hand, Julie was sentenced to 7 years in federal prison which she began serving in January 2023 in Lexington*, Kentucky.

More on Reality TV:5 French Cooking TV Program.

12. Elizabeth Holmes – Entreprenuer

Image by TechCrunch from

Elizabeth Holmes was th founder and former CEO of the blood-testing company Theranos. Which was an elaborate smokescreen where the company systematically falsified its test results on its supposedly ground-breaking technology and misled its investors who pumped in billions of dollars.

Prosecutors alleged that Holmes made misleading statements about Theranos’s capabilities while in thll knowledge that her company was not able to deliver on its promises. She was found guilty of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. In November 2022 she was sentenced to 11 years and 3 months in federal prison which began in April 2023.

Famous People Incarcerated for Murder & Manslaughter

13. Oscar Pistorius

Image by Discott from

The most famous African rotting in jail is Oscar Pistorius a former South African professional sprinter who made history by competing in the 2012 London Olympics as the first amputee runner to compete in an able-bodied event. He was a below-the-knee amputee due to a congenital condition. He killed Reeva Steenkamp a girlfriend by gunshot at his home in Pretoria, South Africa.

Pistorius was arrested and charged with murder, even though he insisted he killed Steenkamp by accident, believing she was a trespasser in his home.  For the murder, Pistorius is currently serving a 13-year and five-month sentence, ac sentence was increased following an appeal in 2017. Let’s wait and see if he will gain his freedom as the parole board sat in March 2023.

14. Eric Naposki 鈥� Football Player

Eric Andrew Naposki is a convicted murderer serving life in prison without parole. He was a professional football player in the National Football League and the World League of American Football from 1988 to 1997. Former NFL player Eric Naposki in cahoots with his ex-girlfriend Nanette Packard murdered millionaire businessman William “Bill” McLaughlin. Packard, who was Bill’s fiance at the time, and the three individuals were involved in a complicated love triangle. He was the beneficiary of McLaughlin’s $1 million life insurance policy. Nanette Packard received the pay when Bill was found shot dead in his home. Initially, the detective couldn鈥檛 place Naposki in the crime but later they discovered new evidence linking Naposki to the killing. He was convicted, and in 2011 was sentenced to life without parole.

15.  Joe Exotic 鈥� Actor / Director

Image by State of Florida from

A famous man who tried to kill an equally famous woman. Joe Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, Is a former zoo owner, chief of police and tiger breeder. He is the subject of the popular Netflix documentary series Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness and the British documentary film Louis Theroux: Shooting Joe Exotic. In 2019 he was convicted of 2 counts of attempted murder for hire for trying to kill Carole Baskin, a big-cat activist. He was also convicted of 17 charges relating to the killing and breeding of tigers and was thrown in the slammer for 22 years (reduced to 21 on medical grounds). In 2022 he petitioned for compassionate release due to cancer but was denied. He is incarcerated at the Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth*, Texas.

16. Ryan Grantham – Actor

Canadian actor Ryan Grantham was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to murdering his mother, Barbara Waite in 2020. During his trial, prosecutors said he had also hatched a sinister plot to kill Canadian PM, Justin Trudeau. Ryan Grantham was a former Canadian child actor, among the series in which he participated were Riverdale, Supernatural and IZombie. He ended his mother by shooting her in the back of the head while she was playing the piano. The crime occurred in the family home located in Squamish.  After the act, Grantham recorded a video confessing to the crime. According to The Times, he told police that he rationalized killing his mother as sparing her from having to deal with the aftermath of his aborted plans to assassinate Prime Minister Trudeau. In July 2022 he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the crime and was sentenced to life in prison in September 2022.

Read our Article on Canada:  The Most Famous Actors from Canada.

17. Michael Jace – Actor

Michael Andrew Jace is an American convicted murderer and former character actor, best known for his role as Los Angeles Police Officer Julien Lowe in the FX drama The Shield. Jace was arrested and charged with the murder of his wife, April Jace. According to reports, Jace shot his wife multiple times in their home in front of their two young children. Jace’s case received national attention due to his acting career and the brutal nature of the crime. He shot her in the back and both legs, shouting, “You like to run so much. Why don鈥檛 you try running to heaven?鈥� apparently she had asked for a divorce鈥� talk of the ugly head of gender-based violence. He is currently a resident of Corcoran State Prison in Corcoran*, California since 2016 when he was sentenced to 40 years to life for second-degree murder.

18. Suge Knight 鈥� Music Producer

Image by Nick Leisure from

Straight Outta Compton Suge Knight will get out of prison at 72 years old if he is successful in his parole hearing in July 2037. He is currently serving a 28-year prison sentence for a hit-and-run in 2015. On the set of “Straight Outta Compton,” Knight got into a heated argument, got in his truck and drove into a crowd killing Terry Carter and injuring Cle “Bone” Sloan. After that, he entered a no-contest plea to voluntary manslaughter. For using a deadly weapon while committing a crime and was sentenced to 28 years in prison.  The manslaughter sentence was doubled under California’s Three Strikes Law because of his previous convictions. He received an additional 5 years because the crime was a serious and violent felony and an additional year for use of a deadly weapon.

19. Amy Locane

Amy Rose Locane moved from Melrose Place to a Place not so Rossy! She was an American television and film actress known for her role portrayal of Sandy Harling in the first season of the prime-time soap opera Melrose Place. For the same crime, she has been sentenced four different times. The mother-of-two was released in 2015 but the sentence was later ruled too lenient and in 2020 she was re-sentenced to eight years in prison. With the previous time served and good behaviour, she will be released in December 2024. The actress was convicted of vehicular homicide for a drunk driving crash in 2010 after she hit attorney Fred Seeman and his wife Helene Seeman in their driveway. Helene Seeman died from her injuries. Locane was driving under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident, and her blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit.

20. Hiroshi Ogawa

Hiroshi Ogawa is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He was a star in Japanese baseball, playing for the Chiba Lotte Marines between 1985 and 1992. Later he also worked for them as an assistant coach until 1999 but after leaving the club he ran into severe money issues and had tons of debt. He decided rob and confronted 67-year-old Kazuko Nishiuchi, to give him money. When she refused she knocked her out then Ogawa robbed her workplace of 楼1.75 million. He later dumped the body in a nearby pond where she drowned. With a charge sheet reading assault, grand theft and murder, Ogawa received life in prison.

Gangsters in Japan: Fascinating Facts about the Yakuza.

21. Joe Son – Professional wrestler 

, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In 2008, Son was arrested for kicking in the door of his roommate’s car. As part of a plea deal, Son was required to provide a DNA sample to the authorities. When his sample was run through the system, it linked him to a horrific, nearly two-decade-old cold case. On Christmas Eve in 1990, he and an accomplice pretended to be lost as they approached a 19-year-old woman walking her dog. They then threw her into their car and held her hostage for hours, beating and raping her. 

Son was convicted of one count of felony torture and sentenced to seven years to life. Just a month after beginning his sentence, Son killed his cellmate. He was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to an additional 27 years.

Prisoners of Conscience still in Prison in 2023

A prisoner of conscience (POC) is anyone imprisoned because of their race, sexual orientation, religion, or political views. The term also refers to those who have been imprisoned or persecuted for the nonviolent expression of their conscientiously held beliefs.

22. Vladimir Kara-Murza

Image by Leonidaleskeev from

A true hero, Vladimir Kara-Murza, is an example of bravery against tyranny. Following the invasion of Ukraine, the Russian authorities enacted a witch-hunt against politicians, activists and journalists who dared to condemn the Kremlin and its war of aggression. Vladimir Kara-Murza was among the first state critics targeted under this vicious campaign. Despite putting his life at risk, he remains firm in his commitment to democratic principles and the rule of law. Kara-Murza is now a prisoner of conscience for his activities and peaceful protests. In April 2022, Vladimir Kara-Murza was arrested for sharing 鈥渇ake news鈥� about the actions of the Russian military in Ukraine. Currently jailed is the Russian opposition politician who faces a prison sentence of up to 24 years on trumped-up charges of high treason and other charges.

Must Read:15 Great Facts about Ukraine.

23. Virginia Laparra

鈥淚t is alarming that the Guatemalan authorities have been incapable of guaranteeing Virginia Laparra鈥檚 most basic defence rights and due process. One year after her arrest, it is clear that the multiple arbitrary actions and irregularities in the case put forward by the prosecution and the Judiciary are due to the authorities鈥� obsession with punishing all the people who have contributed to the fight against corruption and impunity,鈥� said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International.

Former prosecutor and prisoner of conscience Virginia Laparra has been unjustly imprisoned for one year as a result of unfounded criminal proceedings riddled with irregularities that violate her human rights. Virginia Laparra was arrested on 23 February 2022 in Quetzaltenango. On 16 December 2022, a Court in Guatemala City sentenced her to four years in prison for the crime of ongoing abuse of authority. Virginia Laparra is a prisoner of conscience detained solely for her work investigating corruption cases. The unfounded lawsuits against her and the multiple violations of her rights are a clear sign that there is no due process for patriots who led the fight against corruption and impunity in Guatemala. Laparra, is being persecuted because of her work as a prosecutor in Quetzaltenango. The UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Margaret Satterthwaite has condemned her imprisonment in Nov. 2022.

24. Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja

Abdulhadi Abdulla Hubail al-Khawaja is a Bahraini political activist. On 22 June 2011, al-Khawaja and eight others were sentenced to life imprisonment. This was punishment for organising pro-democracy protests against the Bahraini government. al-Khawaja as part of a campaign of silencing dissenting voices. Two months later, a Bahrain military court. An appeal court ruled that he did not have the right to appeal his sentence in Dec 2022. His arrest at the hands of the security forces was violent, resulting in a broken jaw. He was subjected to additional physical, psychological and sexual torture in detention.

25. Nasrin Sotoudeh

Image by Husseinronaghi from

 Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, who has represented opposition activists including women prosecuted for removing their mandatory headscarves, was arrested in 2018 and charged with spying, spreading propaganda and insulting Iran’s supreme leader. In 2010, Sotoudeh was arrested on charges of spreading propaganda and conspiring to harm state security. In 2018, she was again arrested and sentenced to 38 years in prison and 148 lashes on charges of espionage, spreading propaganda against the system and encouraging corruption and prostitution. Amnesty has referred to  Sotoudeh’s case as “shocking” and considers her a prisoner of conscience.

The stories of the 20 famous people who are still in prison serve as a reminder that fame and success can not shield individuals from the negative effects of their actions. Despite their accomplishments, these individuals made choices that resulted in their incarceration.