German Court Raps Coolio

06/07/1999 at 12:00 AM EDT

A German court this week handed U.S. rap star Coolio a suspended six-month prison sentence and an $18,000 fine for robbery and assault. Judge Werner Payer said Coolio, who's real name is Artis Ivey, had helped members of his band steal clothes from a store in Boeblingen last year and had shoved aside the shop owner as they were leaving. "I have the feeling I've been exploited here. At no time did I try to injure or harm anyone," Coolio told the court. During the trial, Coolio said the clothes had been taken in lieu of payment for an autograph signing-session he had done in the shop the day before the incident in November of last year.