Report: Akon fabricated criminal past

Citing an analysis of police and court records, The Smoking Gun says singer's claims of a nefarious past are fraudulent.

Is Akon the hip-hop version of James Frey?

That's the claim in a lengthy investigative report by The Smoking Gun, which says that the multiplatinum hip-hop crooner fabricated much of his criminal past, embellishing his story to make it more compelling, much in the way that Frey did in his infamous memoir, A Million Little Pieces.

Citing an analysis of police, court, and criminal records, the report claims that Akon made up many of the facts surrounding his arrests, having served only several months in jail rather than the more than four years of hardened prison time he has boasted about in his songs and interviews.

The 35-year-old Akon--born Aliaune Thiam--grew up in Senegal and the United States, primarily in New Jersey. He claims to have led an extensive car-theft ring, but the only felony conviction among his six arrests was for gun possession, for which he received three years' probation, The Smoking Gun reported. Akon is currently touring in Africa, and representatives at Universal Motown, his label, have not yet commented on the report.

The singer, who titled his first two albums Trouble and Konvicted and plans to release a third, Acquitted, later this year, has spent only five months in jail, following a 1998 arrest for possession of a stolen BMW in Georgia, the site said. He was released before being convicted of the crime.

FBI Agent Peter McFarlane, who was involved in Akon's 1998 arrest, told the site that the singer's claims of helming a car-jacking ring are "bulls***."

"This guy is so phony," he said. "He's an arrogant SOB. I don't think he had any role besides [wanting] to drive a high-dollar vehicle. And I say this because we didn't link him to any other cars."

The most ironic aspect of the site's report is that it began its investigation into Akon's criminal past after he threw a 15-year-old boy off the stage at a concert in Fishkill, New York, in June 2007 after the boy allegedly threw a pretzel on stage.

The incident was captured on videotape and Akon was arraigned in court in Fishkill, New York, in December on charges of harassment and endangering the welfare of a child.

He was released without bail after a computer check turned up no outstanding warrants or, for that matter, any prior criminal history. Police later turned up the six arrests in Akon's past but the only felony was for gun possession.