Former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young jumped to the defense of T.I. after the Grammy winner and his wife, Tameka Cottle, were arrested on suspicion of possessing methamphetamines, five months after the rapper finished a prison stint on weapons charges.

Mr. Young told The Associated Press that he was skeptical about the charges and the circumstances of the arrest.

"I assume that you're innocent until you're proven guilty," Mr. Young told the AP. "If he was driving and smoking marijuana, that is absolutely stupid. But why was he pulled over in the first place? Because he had a Maybach [luxury German-made car]? Because he was black? Because they know who he is and resent his success?"

Mr. Young, an ordained minister, married the 29-year-old rapper, real name Clifford Harris, and Ms. Cottle last month in Miami.

T.I. and his wife were arrested Wednesday night in West Hollywood after deputies smelled marijuana and pulled the couple over, the L.A. County Sheriff's Department said. They were released from jail yesterday after posting $10,000 bail each.

The Atlanta-based, multiplatinum hitmaker, who has a key role in the movie "Takers," served seven months in federal prison and three months in a halfway house for possessing unregistered machine guns and silencers. He was to serve three years of supervised release after his prison sentence ended in March.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the arrest may land T.I. back before the federal judge who signed off on a deal that had shaved years off the potential prison term for the weapons charges.

The former TV producer who tried to blackmail David Letterman was freed Thursday after four months in jail.

The Associated Press said that New York City Correction Department records show that Robert "Joe" Halderman got time off for good behavior from his six-month term at the Rikers Island jail complex, but he still has to complete 1,000 hours of community service. He'll be on probation for five years.

Mr. Halderman, 52, had pleaded guilty to attempted grand larceny for demanding $2 million in hush money to keep from revealing personal information about the star of CBS's "Late Show With David Letterman." The attempt spurred the host, who had married his longtime girlfriend about six months before, to confess on-air that he'd had sex with women on his show's staff.

The former CBS "48 Hours" producer is looking for work, his lawyer said. A spokesman for Mr. Letterman declined comment on Mr. Halderman's release.

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