Update: Pussy Riot Members Found Guilty, Get Two-Year Prison Terms

Three members of Pussy Riot have been sentenced to two years in prison today after a Russian court found them guilty of "hooliganism" in connection with a February "punk prayer" protest they staged against Russian President Vladimir Putin in a Moscow cathedral, Reuters reports. 

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30, and Maria Alyokhina, 24, jailed since March, have received expressions of support from musicians including Paul McCartney, Madonna and the Red Hot Chili Peppers during legal proceedings that have been criticized as a politically motivated show trial intended to chill dissent against Putin. The women said that theirs was a political protest that was never intended to offend the Russian Orthodox Church.

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Update: Pussy Riot Members Found Guilty, Get Two-Year Prison Terms

Three members of Pussy Riot have been sentenced to two years in prison today after a Russian court found them guilty of "hooliganism" in connection with a February "punk prayer" protest they staged against Russian President Vladimir Putin in a Moscow cathedral, Reuters reports. 

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30, and Maria Alyokhina, 24, jailed since March, have received expressions of support from musicians including Paul McCartney, Madonna and the Red Hot Chili Peppers during legal proceedings that have been criticized as a politically motivated show trial intended to chill dissent against Putin. The women said that theirs was a political protest that was never intended to offend the Russian Orthodox Church.

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Electric Daisy Carnival Creator Could Face Up to 13 Years in Prison

Pasquale Rotella posed backstage during day two of the Electric Daisy Carnival electronic music festival.

Following his March arrest for an indictment including 29 counts of bribery, embezzlement, conspiracy and conflict of interest, court documents reveal that Electric Daisy Carnival creator and Insomniac Events CEO Pasquale Rotella could face up to 13 years and eight months in prison, Spin reports.

Rotella is one of six individuals charged in a colossal corruption case concerning Los Angeles' historic stadium, the Coliseum, where the EDC has been held many times. According to L.A. District Attorney Steve Cooley, more than $2.5 million of Coliseum money was rerouted to the personal accounts of Coliseum Events Manager Todd DeStefano and General Manager Patrick Lynch via back-room deals.

"In 2008 DeStefano, [Go Ventures promoter Reza] Gerami, and Pasquale Rotella agreed that the two promoters would pay DeStefano personally and in exchange he would use his official position to provide them access to the Coliseum and low rates," reads a court document submitted by Cooley. "Lynch learned of the payments in 2009 and . . . [assisted] him in continuing his crime."

These charges are not the first to taint the EDC and the Coliseum. After attending the carnival at the Coliseum in 2010, 15-year-old Sasha Rodriguez died of ecstasy-related causes at a nearby hospital. Following her death, the L.A. Times looked into the Coliseum's practices, which led to the city's 13-month-long investigation that brought about Rotella's indictment.

In the court document, Cooley draws a connection between the corruption and drug usage at events such as the EDC. "In the past, electronic music concerts, also known as raves, were generally conducted illegally, without permits and with rampant drug use," he stated. "More recently their promoters have managed to bring the events to conventional venues but have faced resistance from the public due to continued drug use and other safety issues. The best way to overcome such resistance is always the use of an inside man."

Rotella is currently out on bail. His attorney, Gary Kaufman, has issued a statement maintaining Rotella's innocence, calling the charges "clearly politically motivated and publicity driven." Insomniac claims none of their events will be impacted by the arrest.

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Electric Daisy Carnival Creator Could Face Up to 13 Years in Prison

Pasquale Rotella posed backstage during day two of the Electric Daisy Carnival electronic music festival.

Following his March arrest for an indictment including 29 counts of bribery, embezzlement, conspiracy and conflict of interest, court documents reveal that Electric Daisy Carnival creator and Insomniac Events CEO Pasquale Rotella could face up to 13 years and eight months in prison, Spin reports.

Rotella is one of six individuals charged in a colossal corruption case concerning Los Angeles' historic stadium, the Coliseum, where the EDC has been held many times. According to L.A. District Attorney Steve Cooley, more than $2.5 million of Coliseum money was rerouted to the personal accounts of Coliseum Events Manager Todd DeStefano and General Manager Patrick Lynch via back-room deals.

"In 2008 DeStefano, [Go Ventures promoter Reza] Gerami, and Pasquale Rotella agreed that the two promoters would pay DeStefano personally and in exchange he would use his official position to provide them access to the Coliseum and low rates," reads a court document submitted by Cooley. "Lynch learned of the payments in 2009 and . . . [assisted] him in continuing his crime."

These charges are not the first to taint the EDC and the Coliseum. After attending the carnival at the Coliseum in 2010, 15-year-old Sasha Rodriguez died of ecstasy-related causes at a nearby hospital. Following her death, the L.A. Times looked into the Coliseum's practices, which led to the city's 13-month-long investigation that brought about Rotella's indictment.

In the court document, Cooley draws a connection between the corruption and drug usage at events such as the EDC. "In the past, electronic music concerts, also known as raves, were generally conducted illegally, without permits and with rampant drug use," he stated. "More recently their promoters have managed to bring the events to conventional venues but have faced resistance from the public due to continued drug use and other safety issues. The best way to overcome such resistance is always the use of an inside man."

Rotella is currently out on bail. His attorney, Gary Kaufman, has issued a statement maintaining Rotella's innocence, calling the charges "clearly politically motivated and publicity driven." Insomniac claims none of their events will be impacted by the arrest.

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Lil Wayne to Publish Prison Memoir

Lil Wayne performs during his 'I Am Still Music' tour at AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.

Lil Wayne has signed a deal to publish a prison memoir called Gone Till November. The book will be drawn from notes the rapper made while serving an eight-month sentence at Rikers Island on a weapons possession charge. 

The book, to be published by Grand Central Publishing, is repped by Matthew Guma, who also served as Jay-Z's literary agent for the rapper's best-selling book Decoded. According to a press release, Lil Wayne's prison journals will detail "his thoughts and feelings, strange people he met, his plans, his family, his children, his past, present and future."

Lil Wayne has written about his sports interests for ESPN the Magazine, and he recently announced the launch of a new skateboarding clothing line. The rapper's most recent album, Tha Carter IV, debuted last year at Number One on the Billboard album chart with just under one million copies sold in its first week of release. 

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Lil Wayne to Publish Prison Memoir

Lil Wayne performs during his 'I Am Still Music' tour at AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.

Lil Wayne has signed a deal to publish a prison memoir called Gone Till November. The book will be drawn from notes the rapper made while serving an eight-month sentence at Rikers Island on a weapons possession charge. 

The book, to be published by Grand Central Publishing, is repped by Matthew Guma, who also served as Jay-Z's literary agent for the rapper's best-selling book Decoded. According to a press release, Lil Wayne's prison journals will detail "his thoughts and feelings, strange people he met, his plans, his family, his children, his past, present and future."

Lil Wayne has written about his sports interests for ESPN the Magazine, and he recently announced the launch of a new skateboarding clothing line. The rapper's most recent album, Tha Carter IV, debuted last year at Number One on the Billboard album chart with just under one million copies sold in its first week of release. 

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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