If Bieber Is the Dad, Babymama Could Face Jail Time

But Mariah Yeater's lawyers blow off statutory rape worries
By Mary Papenfuss,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 4, 2011 3:23 AM CDT
Bieber 'Maybe Babymama' Could Be in Trouble for Kid Sex
The Biebs peeping from behind dark glasses.   (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

The 20-year-old California woman claiming to be Justin Bieber's babymama could be investigated for having sex with the underage singer. Mariah Yeater has filed a paternity suit against the boy crooner, claiming he had sex with her backstage last year at an LA concert when he was just 16. Yeater is asking a court to order Bieber to take a paternity test and to financially support her 3-month-old son. But Yeater could also be investigated herself for breaking the law by having sex with a minor. "If it's brought to our attention, of course we'll look into it," a Los Angeles police commander told AP.

Sex with an underage partner is a misdemeanor if the other person is not more than three years older, and carries up to a one-year jail sentence; Yeater was 19 at the time of the alleged encounter. Yeater's attorneys dismissed concerns about criminal action against their client. "The issue of statutory rape, even if she's guilty, hypothetically, that has no bearing on the duties to provide child support," said one of Yeater's lawyers. "It's a totally separate issue. The most important thing for our client is letting her baby know who his father is." Click for more details from the paternity suit. (More Justin Bieber stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X