American broadcaster and rapper Joe Budden has been charged with lewdness after police allege he appeared nude outside his neighbor’s apartment.
The Edgewater Police Department announced the charge against the 44-year-old podcaster on Monday, December 30. Chief Donald Martin stated that officers were called to an Edgewater, N.J., apartment complex on the morning of December 4 after a resident reported seeing Budden on their doorbell camera. Footage allegedly showed Budden naked, attempting to input a code on their door before retreating to his own apartment across the hall.
The incident reportedly unfolded while the caller’s two juvenile daughters viewed the doorbell camera footage live on their phones. Following weeks of investigation, Budden was charged earlier this month.
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Budden’s attorney, Nima Ameri of Ameri Law Firm, criticized the police chief’s handling of the case in a statement to TMZ, labeling his press release “reckless” and “racially motivated.”
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“Mr. Budden is disheartened by Police Chief Martin’s press release,” Ameri said. “For weeks, Mr. Budden has been waiting for his cross complaints to be processed, which include significantly more serious allegations, potentially felony charges, against those involved in filing these charges. Instead, the Chief appears to have sought publicity by releasing details about a minor charge against Mr. Budden, which didn’t even result in an arrest.”
Ameri added, “The Chief’s decision to single out Mr. Budden appears self-serving and, in our opinion, racially motivated. Our research shows no other press releases for disorderly person charges this year, making this incident stand out as a deliberate act targeting Mr. Budden’s race and celebrity status.”
Budden briefly addressed the situation on a recent episode of The Joe Budden Podcast, mentioning his history of sleepwalking. “I slept-walked somewhere I shouldn’t have,” he said while explaining a brief hiatus from the show.
Budden, who denies any wrongdoing, is scheduled to appear in court next month.
