06/17/2026
Mystikal, real name Michael Tyler, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to third-degree r**e in a 2022 case at his Louisiana home. The victim addressed the court and asked the judge for the maximum sentence, saying Tyler punched her, pulled braids out of her hair, and forcibly assaulted her.
After hearing her statement Tyler told the courtroom, "If I did that to you, I deserve the max sentence." He was originally charged with first-degree r**e, simple robbery, domestic-abuse battery, and false imprisonment before a plea deal reduced the charges. The original charge would have carried an automatic life sentence.
This is not Tyler's first conviction. He served six years for sexually assaulting his hairstylist in 2003 before being released in 2010. In 2017 he faced separate sexual assault and kidnapping charges that were dismissed in 2020 after new evidence emerged.
The victim's courage in addressing the court directly helped secure the maximum sentence the law allowed.