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US Presidential Envoy Sent to Sweden for A$AP Rocky's Trial

Associated Press

   HELSINKI - American rapper A$AP Rocky pleaded not guilty to assault as
   his trial in Sweden opened Tuesday, a month after a street fight that
   landed him in jail and became a topic of U.S.-Swedish diplomacy.

   Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, is accused with two others of
   beating a 19-year-old man in Stockholm on June 30. Prosecutors played
   video footage in court that showed Mayers throwing a young man to the
   ground.

   Wearing sweatpants and a green T-shirt in court, Mayers, 30, pleaded
   not guilty to an assault charge that carries a maximum penalty of two
   years in prison. He says he acted in self-defense.

   The Grammy-nominated artist's ongoing detention in Sweden this month
   prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to personally intervene on his
   behalf. Mayers nevertheless remained behind bars, angering Trump.

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