SHORT TAKES : LL Cool J Ex-Bodyguard Guilty

A former bodyguard for rap singer LL Cool J was convicted of raping a 15-year-old girl after a concert in the Twin Cities in August.

The Hennepin County District Court jury deliberated about 10 hours before issuing a verdict Wednesday night convicting Christopher Tsipouras, 22, Union, N.J., of first- and third-degree sexual assault. Judge Philip Bush set sentencing for Jan. 5, revoked Tsipouras’ $100,000 bail and placed him in custody. State guidelines recommend a prison sentence of more than seven years.

Tsipouras was charged with sexually assaulting the girl at a Bloomington hotel on Aug. 9. Two other members of the entourage--singer David Parker and crew member Gary Saunders--are awaiting trial on charges of sexually assaulting the girl later that night.

The victim and a 16-year-old girlfriend had won backstage passes from a radio station.