Vanilla Ice has accepted a plea deal to perform community service after being arrested in February for a break-in and theft at an abandoned home in Florida. The rapper, whose real name is Robert Van Winkle, appeared in court in West Palm Beach on Thursday. He agreed to a fine and 100 hours of community service to avoid charges of grand theft. Van Winkle, 47, hosts a home-improvement show, DIY Network’s ‘‘The Vanilla Ice Project,’’ and was renovating a home next to the victim; he said the alleged theft was a misunderstanding. He rose to fame with the 1990 hit “Ice Ice Baby.”
Mystic Pizza tax plea
The owner of the Mystic Pizza restaurant made famous in a 1988 film with Julia Roberts has pleaded guilty to federal tax charges. Prosecutors say that in 2006-10 John Zelepos, 48, of North Stonington, Conn., diverted just over $567,000 from Mystic Pizza’s gross receipts into his personal bank accounts and those of family members. They say he then filed false tax returns to hide the income. He faces up to 15 years in prison.