Rapper Mystikal pleads guilty to rape, faces up to 20 years in prison

Melina Khan, USA TODAYWed, March 18, 2026 at 3:29 PM UTC

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Rapper Mystikal has pleaded guilty to third-degree rape in connection to a 2022 arrest, according to court records.

The 55-year-old rapper, whose name is Michael Lawrence Tyler, pleaded guilty to third-degree rape during a hearing in Ascension Parish Court in Louisiana on March 17, according to court records obtained by USA TODAY.

He had been facing 10 criminal charges, including first-degree rape. In Louisiana, a guilty first-degree rape charge carries a life imprisonment, while third-degree rape carries a maximum of 25 years in jail.

Tyler is facing up to 20 years in jail, according to KLFY, WBRZ and WAFB. A sentencing date is set for June, the court records said.

On July 30, 2022, Tyler was arrested after a woman who had been admitted to the emergency room accused him of rape and battery, according to the Ascension Parish District Attorney's office.

In connection to the incident, Tyler was facing nine other charges, including battery and false imprisonment. During the March 17 hearing, prosecutors filed legal notices known as nolle prosequi for the nine non-rape charges, indicating that they don't wish to continue pursuing them.

USA TODAY has reached out to Tyler's attorney and the Ascension Parish District Attorney's office for comment.

Woman accused Mystikal of holding her against her will, raping her

Mystikal attends the 2013 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards at Hammerstein Ballroom on Aug. 22, 2013 in New York City.

Mystikal allegedly took the woman's keys and held her against her will, USA TODAY previously reported, citing an arrest warrant.

The woman said she went to Tyler's home to talk about alleged financial commitments he had made to her. After he accused her of stealing cash, the woman said Tyler choked her, pulled out her hair and raped her, The Advocate reported.

The victim was treated for minor injuries at a hospital, according to the district attorney's office.

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Tyler was arrested and faced five charges, including first-degree rape, domestic battery by strangulation, false imprisonment, simple criminal damage to property and simple robbery, the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office said in a media release at the time.

During the investigation, police obtained a search warrant for Tyler's home in Prairieville, Louisiana, where they allegedly recovered "valuable evidence to corroborate the victim’s account of the rape along with a variety of illegal narcotics," the district attorney's office said in a September 2022 news release.

A grand jury indicted Tyler on the five initial charges stemming from the alleged rape plus five additional offenses: three charges of possession of a controlled substance, and one charge each of possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana, according to the district attorney's office.

He has been held without bond since his arrest, according to KLFY, WBRZ and WAFB.

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Mystikal has checkered criminal past

Mystikal gained prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s with songs like "Shake Ya Ass" and "Danger (Been So Long)."

But the New Orleans native has since had decades of run ins with the law.

In 2002, Tyler was charged with aggravated rape and extortion by his then-hairstylist. He pleaded guilty to sexual battery the following year and served six years in prison, USA TODAY previously reported.

He returned to music after being released from prison in 2010. In 2016, Tyler was again accused of sexual assault stemming from an encounter at a casino in Shreveport, Louisiana.

After surrendering to authorities in 2017, Tyler spent 18 months in jail before being released on a $3 million bond. The district attorney closed the investigation and filed to dismiss the charges after a second grand jury that declined to bring an indictment, USA TODAY reported.

Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at melina.khan@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mystikal pleads guilty to rape. Rapper faces up to 20 years in jail.

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