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Rapper Remy Ma is convicted of assault

Grammy-nominated rapper Remy Ma whose real name is Remy Smith exits Manhattan criminal court following her hearing, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2007, in New York. Smith, is charged with assault and witness tampering. She is accused of shooting an acquaintance over money and then trying to intimidate her. (Louis Lanzano, Associated Press / December 5, 2007)

The Associated Press

12:39 PM EDT, March 27, 2008

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NEW YORK - Grammy-nominated rapper Remy Ma was led out of a Manhattan courtroom Thursday, weeping and in handcuffs, after being convicted of shooting a woman outside a nightclub last summer.

The defense had conceded that Remy Ma, whose real name is Remy Smith, fired a shot toward a friend she suspected of stealing $3,000, but said it was an accident.

Smith, 26, faces up to 25 years in prison following her conviction in state Supreme Court for assault, weapon possession and attempted coercion.

She quietly wiped away tears as the verdict was read, then wailed loudly and sobbed openly after she was outside the courtroom. Many of her supporters also cried.

Justice Rena Uviller ordered Smith jailed without bail while awaiting her April 23 sentencing.

Smith was nominated for a Grammy as part of the Terror Squad for the 2004 hit "Lean Back." She also has appeared on recordings with Busta Rhymes and Eminem.

She was acquitted of witness tampering and gang assault, charges related to a Bronx nightclub attack on the boyfriend of a witness who ultimately testified against her.

Smith got into Makeda Barnes Joseph's car after a party at the Manhattan nightclub on July 14, 2007, and demanded that she dump her purse.

Assistant District Attorney Michael McIntosh said the defendant "took an illegal .45-caliber automatic and loaded it with hollow-point bullets," then used both hands to cock the weapon as she got into the car. "She took every step you had to take to shoot somebody," the prosecutor said.

Defense lawyer Ivan Fisher said the gun went off accidentally as the women struggled over the bag.

Joseph, who was shot in the abdomen, testified that she underwent three operations during a three-week hospital stay.