DMX Pleads Guilty While House Ransacked

01/05/09 1:41pm

The holiday season didn't bring a lot of good cheer to DMX. The rapper faces at least 90 days in jail after he reached a plea bargain in connection with drug, theft and animal cruelty charges, and his Arizona home where some of his crimes took place has been both robbed and foreclosed.

DMX (real name Earl Simmons) pleaded guilty to three felony charges and one misdemeanor count in Arizona's Maricopa County Superior Court on Dec. 30 as part of a deal to settle three criminal cases. He has also agreed not to own animals or possess firearms.

The rapper is still in custody and will be sentenced on Jan. 30.

DMX was charged with animal cruelty and drug possession in May after a seven-month investigation which centred around his Cave Creek, Ariz. home. He was arrested in Florida twice this summer after driving with a suspended license and allegedly attempting to buy cocaine and marijuana.

The sometimes actor also used someone else's identity and provided false information at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz. in an alleged attempt to avoid paying a bill last year.

DMX has also missed several court appearances, and warrants were issued for his arrest. A $5,000 reward was offered for information leading to his capture last month, and he was apprehended at the Palm Island, Fla. mansion of record producer Scott Storch a few days later.

To make matters worse for DMX, he may not have a place to live when he's released from prison. He was forced to auction his New York City townhouse in August, and now the suburban Phoenix home where dead dogs and drugs were discovered has been foreclosed.

The five-bedroom house is on the market on behalf of a bank for $429,000, almost $200,000 less than DMX paid for it in 2003. The discounted price is partly due to the residence's poor condition. DMX's estranged wife, Tashera Simmons, says no one looked after the house after the couple separated. They stopped paying a cleaning service and the SWAT team raid on the abode left it damaged and easily accessible to thieves.

Burglars apparently made off with nearly everything of value in the house, including ATV recreational vehicles. Other items were tossed in the backyard swimming pool.