Singer Chris Brown has been accused of illegally owning an exotic pet monkey after authorities saw him posting images of the animal on Instagram, Los Angeles city prosecutors said Thursday.

Brown was charged with two misdemeanor counts of possessing the capuchin monkey without a permit between Oct. 31, 2017 and Jan. 3, 2018, according to the Los Angeles city attorney’s office.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife seized the monkey, named Fiji, in January after seeing the images on social media. One December 2017 post featured Brown’s young daughter, Royalty, holding the monkey, which was wearing a diaper and wrapped in a blanket.

The monkey has been relocated to a sanctuary facility.


Brown could face a maximum of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine, said Frank Mateljan, a spokesman with the city attorney’s office. He is due in court on Feb. 6 for arraignment.

It’s unclear where the animal came from and whether authorities are still investigating.

“Those investigations would be conducted by [Fish and Wildlife] or another agency,” Mateljan said. Fish and Wildlife officials could not be reached Thursday for comment.

Mateljan said the case was just presented to city prosecutors within the last two weeks. It’s unclear why there was a delay.


It’s not the 29-year-old R&B star’s first run-in with the law.

Brown spent six years on probation after pleading guilty to the 2009 attack on his then-girlfriend Rihanna. His probation was lifted in March 2015.

In recent years, he has faced charges in connection with driving without a license and accusations of a hit and run. He admitted in May 2014 to violating his probation after assaulting a person outside a Washington hotel.

According to court records, the Grammy-winning singer is bipolar, a diagnosis that came after the singer walked out of a therapy session and threw a rock through his mother car’s window.


He also was ejected from a rehab program because he violated internal rules, including allegedly making a threatening comment, failing to take a drug test and touching a female undergoing therapy.