Posted on: April 29, 2026, 08:06h.
Last updated on: April 30, 2026, 04:17h.
- Missouri prosecutors dismissed a misdemeanor assault charge against Nelly in April 2026 pressed following a dispute with a casino security guard last year
- Rapper agreed to pay a $750 fine for a littering infraction to resolve the case, which originated from a disagreement over Nelly could enter a restricted casino area
- This marks Nelly’s latest in a string of casino-related run-ins.
Nelly will not face charges for his July 2025 arrest at the Ameristar Casino, following a decision to drop the misdemeanor assault case.
Prosecutors agreed to drop the criminal charge on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in exchange for a plea deal in which the rapper agreed to pay a $750 fine for littering outside the casino.
According to TMZ, Nelly — whose legal name is Cornell Haynes Jr. — was accused of attacking the guard for refusing to allow him access to a restricted casino area without a player’s card.
When Nelly replied that he didn’t have one, he allegedly shoved the guard in the chest with a closed right hand and walked through. Although the guard reported no injuries, he chose to press charges, leading to the formal misdemeanor assault filing in September 2025.
Nelly’s legal representative, Scott Rosenblum, denied the allegations from the beginning. Rosenblum argued that the guard had “invaded Nelly’s personal space” and that any contact was merely the result of the rapper guiding the employee aside to continue his walk.
His team also claimed that casino management eventually apologized for the misunderstanding and clarified that Nelly was still welcome at the resort.
Security footage later reviewed by the court showed the guard standing in close proximity to the rapper, though the lack of audio made it difficult for prosecutors to determine if the interaction met the legal threshold for assault.
Trouble Comes in Pairs
This resolves the second time Nelly has gotten himself in trouble at a casino in his hometown of St. Louis.
In August 2024, he was arrested at the Hollywood Casino & Hotel in Maryland Heights after winning a $50,000 jackpot. During a mandatory background check for his winnings, officers discovered an old failure-to-appear warrant for a 2018 traffic citation.
A subsequent search allegedly uncovered four ecstasy pills. Nelly was arrested for possession of narcotics, though those charges were dropped by the St. Louis County Prosecutor’s Office in November 2024 after they determined the search was unnecessary.
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