http://uk.news.yahoo.com/030226/80/du3wn.html
"Suge" Knight wins release from jail
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Gangsta" rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight, who was jailed in December for alleged parole violations, has won his release from a state prison board although he must perform some community service.
Knight, the founder of Death Row Records who served five years in prison for assault and weapons violations, was ordered released after the state Board of Prison Terms gave him credit for 61 days in custody.
The board, which could have sent Knight back to prison for a year on charges of associating with known gang members, a violation of his parole terms, instead dropped four of the five accusations against him.
But the board upheld one of the charges and ordered Knight, 37, to perform 200 hours of anti-gang community service.
"(Knight) and I were both very pleased with the result," defence attorney David Chesnoff said on Tuesday. "We appreciate the fairness of the proceedings. I'm just sorry he had to be in custody for two months but happy he's going back to work."
Chesnoff said Knight testified during the daylong hearing, which was conducted at the Men's Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles and closed to the press, and denied the charges.
Knight, who had been convicted of assault for a 1996 fight in a casino, allegedly violated his parole by failing to inform officials that he had moved to the affluent beach community of Malibu and by hiring drivers and bodyguards who had not been vetted by state authorities.
The burly, bearded Knight was also allegedly photographed with gang members even though terms of his parole require him to stay away from anyone associated with a gang.
Knight is a powerful figure in the world of "gangsta" rap, where performers often revel in a lawless and violent lifestyle.