The Cuban reggaeton artist Yosvany Sierra Hernández, known professionally as Chocolate MC, rejected a plea agreement offered by the Miami-Dade Prosecutor's Office on Tuesday, amid the complex judicial issues he is facing that could lead to a much harsher sentence in the coming months.
According to Telemundo 51, the Prosecutor's Office proposed to combine the open cases against the artist, including the murder solicitation case, for which he has already been found guilty, along with other charges of kidnapping and first-degree robbery, in exchange for a 12-year prison sentence and five years of probation.
The offer was presented during a hearing in which Chocolate was present alongside his lawyer, Adolfo Gil, but it was ultimately rejected after a brief deliberation with his defense, as confirmed by the local media.
The journalist Maylin Legañoa, who covered the hearing and explained it in a live broadcast from Telemundo 51, noted that the Prosecutor's Office argued it had "substantial evidence" to support the charges in a new trial.
Among the mentioned evidence is a video related to the alleged kidnapping of a fan in Opa-locka, a case that has significantly worsened the reggaeton artist's legal situation.
During the court hearing, the judge clearly warned Chocolate that if he proceeded with the criminal cases without accepting the agreement, he could face a far harsher sentence than the one currently offered.
Nevertheless, the artist maintained his stance, arguing that the proposed time seemed excessive and reiterating that he does not consider himself guilty. His lawyer supported the decision and indicated that the strategy will be to go for a new trial, Legañoa explained.
The rejection of the agreement occurs just weeks after Chocolate was found guilty in the homicide solicitation case against Damián Valdez-Galloso, identified as the primary suspect in the murder of reggaeton artist El Taiger.
In that process, the judge determined that threats disseminated on social media constituted "real threats" and were not protected by the First Amendment, a key ruling that weakened the artist's defense, as also reported by Telemundo 51.
While no date has been set for the upcoming trials regarding kidnapping and robbery, the case of Chocolate MC continues to accumulate legal developments.
With several ongoing legal cases, no right to bail, and a deportation order in effect since 2022—despite Cuba not accepting it—the singer's legal situation continues to deteriorate, moving beyond the artistic realm and becoming firmly entrenched in the courts.
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