Lil' Kim's Scam Artist Cops Plea

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A man who tried to scam rapper Lil' Kim by telling her lawyer that he knew where her missing jewelry was -- when, in fact, he knew nothing of the kind -- has successfully managed to skip jail time by pleading guilty to a lesser charge of attempted grand larceny, New York's Daily News reports.

John Acheson, 31, was sentenced to five days behind bars and a $500 fine, rather than up to four years in jail, for his role in trying to flim-flam the hip-hop diva.

Acheson reportedly called Kim's lawyer Mel Sachs last summer, three days after a thief made off with $250,000 worth of her jewelry -- specifically, a diamond-encrusted gold Queen Bee -- at New York's Kennedy Airport on June 20. Acheson then allegedly offered to sell back the bling-bling, for $5,000 upfront and another $20,000 later, police said. (The jewels were later discovered near an airport employee's locker.)

No money was ever put on the table by Kim's side, though Acheson -- who was already on parole for suckering his former landlord out of $47,000 in fake stock -- was slapped with a felony grand larceny charge.

Still, the Daily News reports, Acheson claimed that he had to front $20,000 in order to get the jewelry back from a friend, and is now threatening to sue Sachs over the alleged investment.

Said Sachs to the News: "This guy's got more deals than a deck of cards. But he's a criminal. And this plea was recognition of wrongdoing by him."