Thursday (July 8) was supposed to be the day that Beanie Sigel faced sentencing in one of several legal cases he's juggling. But Sigel's date with the court was continued until September, buying the Roc-A-Fella rapper some extra weeks of freedom before he is likely to see jail time.

Sigel pleaded guilty on a federal gun charge in April (see [article id="1486203"]"Beanie Sigel To Plead Guilty, Face Jail Time On Gun Charges"[/article]). But his lawyer, Fortunato Perri Jr., petitioned the Philadelphia Municipal Court to continue the sentencing because they did not have time to finish a pre-sentencing report. The delay, Perri told MTV News, was a result of dealing with Sigel's other pending legal matters.

Those matters include Sigel's trial on attempted murder charges, stemming from a fight outside a Philadelphia bar in July 2003, which ended in a hung jury at the end of April (see [article id="1486625"]"Beanie Sigel's Attempted-Murder Trial Ends In Hung Jury"[/article]). A new trial date has been set for January 12, 2005.

Three weeks ago, on June 14, Sigel appeared in court to set a new trial date in yet another incident, a January 2003 scuffle in which he allegedly punched a 53-year old man in the face, fracturing his eye-socket. The date for that trial is set for September 20.

Sigel is still under house arrest and must adhere to a curfew every day. Despite the myriad of legal troubles he faces, he was granted permission from the court to stay in New York and continue to work. Sigel is currently finishing up the recording of an album, The B-Coming, due in the fall.