Cardi Court: Bronx Rapper A No-Show At Queens Arraignment

Cardi B arrives at the American Music Awards on Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP.

By Jonathan Sperling

She didn’t come through drippin’ this time.

Cardi B, the acclaimed Bronx rapper whose real name is Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, was nowhere to be found on Monday at her scheduled arraignment in Queens Criminal Court on charges related to her role in a College Point strip club brawl.

After a previous adjournment in October, hip hop’s rising star was scheduled to be arraigned for reckless endangerment charges on Dec.3, but her lawyer, Jeff Kern, requested another adjournment to Friday, Dec. 7. Kern alerted the judge that Cardi had a previous, “out-of-town commitment” that was “entertainment-related.”

“I apologize to the court — my client is not here today,” Kern told Queens Criminal Court Judge Sean Dunn. “As you probably know, she’s a ‘fairly notable hip-hop artist,’” Kern added.

Cardi was originally scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 29, but the case was adjourned until yesterday, a fact noted by Assistant District Attorney Ryan Nicolosi.

“We’ve given six additional weeks and the defendant is still not here,” said Nicolosi, who asked the court to issue Cardi a bench warrant.

Though Judge Dunn said Cardi’s absence was “not acceptable,” he agreed to adjourn the case until Friday.

Cardi was at Angels Strip Club in College Point at around 3 a.m. on Aug. 29 when the fisticuffs began. She allegedly told two of her companions to throw objects at two of the bartenders, including one who she allegedly believed slept with her husband Offset, a member of the Migos hip-hop trio.

Cardi, 26, was issued a desk appearance ticket in a Flushing police precinct in October.

Outside the precinct in October, Kern said he was "aware of no evidence that she caused anybody any harm," the AP previously reported.

The two strip club employees who were the alleged targets of the attack have hired attorney Joe Tacopina. Tacopina has represented various prominent clients, including disgraced former NYPD and Department of Corrections Commissioner Bernard Kerik and convicted murderer Joran van der Sloot.