An Atlantic County man was sentenced to three years' probation this week for an attack on a 6-year-old child he was watching in 2020.
John Carelli, who raps under the name Big Homie 609, pleaded guilty in February to fourth-degree child neglect.
He was originally indicted on a second-degree charge of child endangerment in the case.
Carelli, 33, grabbed the boy by the jacket and lifted him, "obstructing his ability to breathe and causing injury to the child's neck and face," according to the original charges.
The boy had visible marks, including what appeared to be broken skin on his throat, in pictures seen by BreakingAC.
Carelli was living with the boy's mother in Galloway Township at the time.
Under the plea agreement, he will not do any jail time.
“It may not have been the outcome we wanted, or what any parent would have wanted," the victim's mother told BreakingAC. "But this means he’s monitored for at least three years and now we can try and move forward with some peace of mind.
"I hope that he realizes that it’s not a game, and his actions will forever have consequences," she added. "I also hope no other child ever has to go through what my child has in his nine short years.”
Carelli's Facebook lists him as being from Linwood.
Attorney John Tumelty declined to comment on the case. Carelli questioned why it was reported, before appearing to deactive his Facebook.
Carelli, seen in his Twitter profile, raps under the name Big Homie.
