American Idol contestant Antonella Barba sentenced to four years in prison for drug trafficking

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A former contestant on American Idol has been jailed for just under four years after pleading guilty to drug distribution.

Antonella Barba, 32, appeared on the sixth season of the talent show and finished in the top 16 back in 2007.

She was arrested in October 2018 after being found with almost two pounds worth of fentanyl in Virginia, and pleaded guilty to possessing with intent to distribute the opiate.

Court documents reveal that Barba attempted to seek a career in Hollywood after being kicked off American Idol, which her mother said had a “detrimental affect” on the singer.

According to Barba’s lawyers, her downward spiral was caused because of her devastation at being kicked off the TV show.

Barba experienced intense media scrutiny during her time on the show after an anonymous source leaked semi-nude photos of her online.

At the time, she said: ”[Those photos are] very personal and that is not how I intended to portray myself nor do I intend to portray myself that way in the future.”

In February 2018, Barba claimed she was producing a new R Kelly song on her Twitter account.