JUNE 4 , 2008: TAMPA - It looks like "American Idol" finalist Jessica Sierra's plans to appear on the VH1 sequel "Celebrity Rehab II" might have hit a snag.
On Thursday, Sierra's attorney was expected to ask a judge whether the singer could appear on the television show despite a court order telling her to stay away from TV cameras. Show host "Dr. Drew" Pinsky was expected to speak at the hearing.
In a court document filed today, attorney John Fitzgibbons withdrew his request, saying VH1 had an unidentified change in production. That makes Sierra's request to appear before the cameras "moot," Fitzgibbons wrote.
In January, while Circuit Judge Daniel Perry was hearing Sierra's violation of probation case, he scolded her for speaking to the media and ordered her to stay at least 100 yards from microphones and cameras.
Sierra was ordered into drug and alcohol treatment after an arrest in Ybor City late last year. She was charged with misdemeanor disorderly intoxication and resisting an officer without violence.
The incident also was a violation of Sierra's probation.
She previously was arrested in a separate incident at a Hyde Park nightclub and charged with a felony for throwing a glass at another customer.
Fitzgibbons said on Tuesday that Sierra was continuing treatment and he hoped the VH1 show would further her recovery. Sierra previously appeared on the show's first incarnation, "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew."
Courtesy of The Tampa Tribune

FEBRUARY 25, 2008: TAMPA -– The attorney for former "American Idol" finalist Jessica Sierra received permission from a judge today to ignore what the lawyer described as ridiculous bureaucracy and remain in a California drug treatment program.
Florida officials allowed Sierra to go to California for a yearlong stint at an in-house drug treatment facility. California officials, however, don't want her to apply for their probation program while living in California, said her attorney, John Fitzgibbons. They want her to return to Florida, apply for probation status in California, and then return to California.
"It's almost nonsense," Fitzgibbons said. Fitzgibbons told the judge that every progress report and all indications show that Sierra is doing well in treatment at the Pasadena Recovery Center.
Circuit Judge Daniel Perry said he didn't see any reason to bring Sierra back to Florida. He agrees she seems to be doing well in treatment. He also noted there would be a question of where she would be allowed to stay if she did return to Florida.
Perry put her on "mail-in status" and said she could complete her treatment and then return to Florida. At that point, he will decide how to handle her probation for the next three years.
Outside the courthouse, Fitzgibbons applauded the judge's decision. "We did not want her to come back and sit around in Tampa for a couple of weeks," he said. "This is where she's been getting in trouble."
Sierra's father, Joseph Sierra, said he also prefers her to be in treatment rather than on her own in Tampa. He said he speaks to her on the phone often. She sounds good, is feeling good about herself, and is 90-days sober, Sierra said.
Sierra was arrested in Ybor City on charges of disorderly conduct and resisting an officer without violence on Dec. 1. The arrest came after her taping of the VH1 series "Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew."
The arrest constituted a violation of Sierra's probation. She was arrested in a separate incident in April at a Hyde Park nightclub and charged with felonies for throwing a glass at a patron and possessing cocaine.
Treatment at the Pasadena Recovery Center includes psychiatric care, medical care and 24-hour supervision. The facility agreed to pay the cost of her care, estimated to be in "six figures," Fitzgibbons previously said.
Courtesy of The Tampa Tribune

JANUARY 10, 2008: TAMPA- "You are not a celebrity, you area drug addict" were the words spoken by a displeased Judge Daniel Perry while addressing Sierra's blatant violation of his order to not give interviews to the media. When exiting a jail in Tampa on January 9, 2008, Jessica Sierra approached a group of reports and thanked her attorney and Dr. Drew Pinsky.
The initial attempt by Sierra to leave Tampa to enter California for a court ordered one year in rehab was haulted when the California Department of Probation denied her permission to transfer into the state on an emergency basis. Today Judge Perry granted a non-emergency travel permit that would allow Sierra, a parole violator, to enter California for treatment for atleast 45 days.
VIDEOS COURTESY OF BAYNEWS9.COM
JUDGE NOT HAPPY WITH JESSICA SIERRA ("I am not happy with you")
JUDGE SCOLDS JESSICA SIERRA ("I will put you where they do not have any cameras")

JANUARY 9, 2008: UPDATE --
The state of California has denied the transfer of Jessica Sierra into the state from Florida. With a condition of her release from prison being the successful completion of a year of treatment from the Pasadena Recovery Center in California, Jessica Sierra must appear in a Tampa court room tomorrow to address the issue.

JANUARY 9, 2008: TAMPA - Jessica Sierra was released from Falkenburg Road at 9:00AM (1/9/08) where she met with her probation officer. Her father took her to Tampa International Airport to fly to Los Angeles, California. Once in L.A. she will begin her one year rehabilitation treatment at the Pasadena Recovery Center under the care of Dr. Drew Pinsky. Her attorney, John Fitzgibbons said that the facility is covering expensive size figure cost of treatment.
Jessica Sierra's civil suit, filed by Wisam Hadad by his attorney Dennis Hernandez is still pending in Hillsborough County. That suit stems from Sierra's attack of Hadad with a glass at a popular Tampa nightclub.

JANUARY 7, 2008: TAMPA - The Hillsborough County courthouse hosted its own version of a reality program this morning, complete with a gruff judge, big-name lawyers, a dramatically tearful starlet and a celebrity doctor.
At the end of the half-hour hearing, Circuit Judge Daniel Perry agreed to send former "American Idol" finalist Jessica Sierra to a yearlong stint at an in-house drug treatment facility in California, followed by three years of probation. He was not quiet about his reservations, however.
"I don't want this to be some sort of stepping stone for her to have some sort of a career as a recovering addict," Perry said. "I don't want her giving interviews. I don't want her on TV. I don't want anybody glamorizing the fact that she's a drug addict. I'm over that."
Sierra has been jailed since a Dec. 1 incident in Ybor City, where she was arrested for misdemeanor disorderly intoxication and resisting an officer without violence. The arrest followed Sierra's taping of the VH1 reality series "Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew," which is scheduled to premiere at 10 p.m. Thursday.
The charges also constituted a violation of Sierra's probation. She was arrested in a separate incident this year at a Hyde Park nightclub, where she was charged with a felony for throwing a glass at another patron.
Sierra will remain jailed until she boards a plane for California.
In court, Perry made sure Sierra understood that in-house treatment is her final chance. If she violates probation again, she will head to prison.
"I tell you what," Perry said in a raised voice. "When you come back here, you will not get treated different from anybody else. You will be going to prison, and if you don't think I will, give me a try."
Sierra nodded as she tried awkwardly to wipe away tears with cuffed hands.
Appearing in court on Sierra's behalf was Drew Pinsky, host of the VH1 show and a celebrity himself after years of hosting the radio show "Loveline" as well as making countless TV appearances. Pinsky told the judge he provided Sierra with treatment for three weeks as they taped the show.
Pinsky acknowledged that he could not provide Sierra with the long-term care she needs for recovery but said she has been a willing participant in rehabilitation.
"She needs at least a year," Pinsky said. "My opinion is, after that year, her prognosis would be reasonably good."
Treatment at the Pasadena Recovery Center in California would include psychiatric care, medical care and 24-hour supervision.
Perry said he was concerned about the center because its Web site boasts that it was featured in the 2006 season of the television program "Secret Lives of Women." The center also is where "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew" was taped.
John Fitzgibbons, Sierra's lawyer, told Perry that Sierra has no money to pay for in-house treatment at a Florida program with Pasadena Recovery Center's reputation.
"This is an incredible facility," he said. "They are footing the bill for her."
Fitzgibbons said he expects the treatment to cost "six figures."
Michael Bloom, co-founder of Pasadena Recovery Center, confirmed in a phone interview with The Tampa Tribune that his operation would pay for Sierra's treatment. He also said Sierra may have a familiar doctor when she arrives. Pinsky, Bloom said, does not traditionally treat patients at the center because he has a private practice.
"But in Jessica's case," Bloom said, "we want him involved."
Outside the courthouse this morning, Sierra's family said they want her to receive the best possible help and they fully support her. Many family members said they hoped Sierra had reached rock bottom and would begin her recovery in earnest.
"She's in jail. She's pregnant," said her father, Joseph Sierra. "What else can go wrong?"
Pinsky said the Pasadena Recovery Center is strictly a chemical dependency facility. Sierra's pregnancy will be handed by other doctors utilizing county programs.
Sierra's older sister, Jennifer, 23, said she never thinks of her sister as a celebrity and is concerned about Jessica's search for fame and the media attention that has followed her problems.
"It's crazy for me to see because my sister, in my eyes, is just another person," Jennifer Sierra said.
Betty Sierra said her granddaughter's addictions stem from a medical condition and she needs help.
"I have a heart condition," she said. "If I don't get treatment, I could die. If she doesn't get treatment, she'll die."
Jessica Sierra's mother, Christine Laura Sierra, died of a drug overdose after years of drug and prostitution arrests.
Since 2005, when Sierra was a top-10 finalist on the show, her life has deteriorated.
After the arrest of a man stalking Sierra in 2006, Sierra had her own run-ins with the law.
In April, Sierra was charged with felony battery at Hyde Park Cafe. Police said she used a bar glass to hit a man. While being booked, jailers found cocaine in her purse and added drug charges.
Sierra initially said she threw the glass because the man spat on her. She later said she might have mistaken him for someone else. Sierra pleaded no contest.
In June, a car rental company filed a complaint that said Sierra failed to return a car.
Then, on Dec. 1, Sierra was kicked out of Full Moon Saloon in Ybor City and began to harass patrons on the street. When police intervened, she became combative. In a police car, reports state, she vomited, cursed, yelled racial slurs and offered a sexual favor to an officer if he would release her. She was charged with disorderly intoxication and obstructing an officer without violence.
While in jail, a distributor of pornographic videos started a Web site offering the sale of a Jessica Sierra sex tape. A free trailer for the tape shows Sierra cursing and yelling as someone off camera asks her questions about other contestants on "American Idol," including 2005 winner Carrie Underwood.
This morning, the judge found her guilty of the two misdemeanor charges and sentenced her to time served.
Reporter Thomas W. Krause can be reached at (813) 259-7698 or tkrause@tampatrib.com.
Courtesy of TBO.com

DECEMBER 10, 2007: JESSICA SIERRA NEWS NOT RELATED TO THE CIVIL OR CRIMINAL CHARGES AGAINST HER: MoveAmericaForward.org has removed Jessica Sierra from its scheduled roster of performers for its"A Song for Their Service" concert for U.S. Troops scheduled for this Friday December 14, 2007 in Washington DC. Retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Buzz Patterson spoke on behalf of the organization saying, "To set the record straight, Ms. Sierra will not be participating in this concert... While we appreciate Ms. Sierra's past efforts to support U.S. troops, including performing for them in Iraq on Independence Day, it is quite obvious that Ms. Sierra needs to devote a great deal of time to putting her life back together. That effort must take place in private and not in the limelight of the public eye or on stage." Courtesy of TBO.com

DECEMBER 7, 2007: JESSICA SIERRA NEWS NOT RELATED TO THE CIVIL OR CRIMINAL CHARGES AGAINST HER: Celebrity gossip website and television program TMZ has reported that a "sex tape" featuring former American Idol contestant Jessica Sierra has been obtained by and will be distributed by a "major porn company."
Mary Carey, the adult entertainer who ran for Govenor of California and who was a cast-mate of Jessica Sierra's on VH-1's Celebrity Rehab program, discussed with paparazzi her feelings towards Jessica Sierra and her legal woes. Courtesy of TMZ.com

DECEMBER 7, 2007: TAMPA - Additional interviews with John Fitgibbons, attorney for Jessica Sierra as well as Dennis Hernandez, attorney for Wisam Hadad appeared on the December 6, 2007 broadcasts of ABC Action News Tampa

DECEMBER 6, 2007: TAMPA - Attorney John Fitzgibbons entered a plea of "not guilty" on behalf of Jessica Sierra on charges of disorderly intoxication and resisting arrest without volence. These charges stem from the December 1,2007 arrest of Jessica Sierra outside of a night club in Ybor City (Tampa, FL).
Fitzgibbons told media outside of the court house that Jessica Sierra has "talents" but also "demons."
Jessica Sierra in a prison recorded phone conversation with her aunt professed her innocence and referred to the arresting officers "stupid" and "Crackers." She sited how she was in being arrested for being intoxicated even though "everyone's intoxicated in Ybor (a popular entertainment district in Tampa, Florida). HEAR THE AUDIO FROM THE PHONE CALL FROM JAIL HERE
See a photo of Jessica Sierra in her orange "jump-suit" in a Hillsborough County Court room on Thursday December 6, 2007. Courtesy of TBO.com

DECEMBER 5, 2007: TAMPA - Dennis Hernandez, Tampa attorney for Sam Hadad in the civl suit against Jessica Sierra stemming from the April 2007 attack in the Tampa night club Hyde Park Cafe, appeared on the 98 Rock (WXTB Tampa) B.S. Morning Show to discuss the racial terms used by Jessica Sierra during her recent arrest and how it may be a factor in the pending civil suit. Mr. Hadad is of Egyptian decent. Dennis Hernandez & Associates, PA also obtained contents from a lap top previously owned by Jessica Sierra in which derogatory language and risque photographs were present.
LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW courtesy of WXTB Tampa.

DECEMBER 4, 2007: TAMPA - Jessica Sierra is scheduled to appear in a special court designed to deal with probabtion violators. Thursday December 6, 2007, the public intoxication, resisting arrest without violence and probabtion violation will be address. See footage of her first court appearance stemming from the December 1, 2007 arrest outside of The Full Moon Saloon Night Club in Tampa, Florida (Ybor City) here (courtesy of Bay News 9). View the Bay News 9 interview with Dennis Hernadnez discussing the pending civil case against Jessica Sierra by his client Wisam Hadad.

DECEMBER 3, 2007: TAMPA - The Hillsborough County Sherrif Department released the complete arrest report for Jessica Sierra. (WARNING: Contains Explicit Language, references to oral sex and racist terms).

Dennis Hernandez, a Tampa attorney representing Wisam Hadad (the victim of Jessica Sierra's attack in April 2007 at the Hyde Park Cafe in Tampa) and Jessica Sierra's attorney John Fitzgibbons each responded to the incident to an assortment of national and local media outlets. Below are links to articles related to the most recent Jessica Sierra arrest:
Bay News 9 - Tampa
ABC Action News
MJ Morning Show
TMZ
Tampa Tribune - News Channel 8
Video of the incindent on 7th Avenue Ybor City Tampa, Florida courtesy of Bay News 9
Video of Jessica Sierra booking courtesy of TMZ.com (may be too graphic in nature for some audiences)

DECEMBER 1, 2007: TAMPA - Former American Idol contestant Jessica Sierra is facing more charges today after Tampa police arrested her in Ybor City early this morning.
Police arrested Sierra at 2:10 a.m. on disorderly intoxication and resisting arrest without violence charges, according to Tampa police. She also faces a violation of probation charge.
Just two weeks ago, the 22-year-old singer pleaded no contest to charges of cocaine possession and felony battery for hitting a man with a glass at a bar last April.
Sierra is being held in jail this morning without bail.
Her attorney, John Fitzgibbons, declined to comment on the matter when reached at his office Saturday.
"I've just heard about this, and I don't have any information at this time,'' he said.
According to a criminal report affidavit, Sierra was raising a disturbance inside the Full Moon Saloon, 1612 E. Seventh Ave. She was escorted from the club and walked across the street and then began fighting with a friend. Sierra walked away and then began pushing people who were walking on the sidewalk in front of the club, yelling and screaming at them, the affidavit said.
She was arrested after pushing away a police officer who tried to restrain her. The affidavit said Sierra had a strong smell of alcohol from her breath, was unsteady and had glassy eyes.
On April 29, Sierra was arrested at Hyde Park Cafe, where she was accused of picking up a glass and striking Wisam Hadad above the eye. Hadad said he had never met the singer. She claimed he spat on her but later said she may have mistaken Hadad for someone else.
Circuit Judge Gregory Holder sentenced Sierra on Nov. 19 to 12 months' probation and random drug screening. She was to complete her current drug-rehab after-care program and follow up with a second component to that program.

Former American Idol Contestant Arrested In Ybor
Story Courtesy of The Tampa Tribune and TBO.com
'Reporter Carlos Moncada can be reached at (727) 451-2333 or cmoncada@tampatrib.com.
www.tbo.com

Video of Jessica Sierra in Court courtesy of Bay News 9