Move over, J.Lo – the “Pot Princess” is angling to become a pop princess.
Julia Diaco, who got a slap on the wrist for selling drugs out of her NYU dorm room, is now pushing herself – as a pop singer named “J-Dia.”
“J-Dia may be one of the most controversial singers ever to hit the music scene. But with a mix of captivating beauty, brutal honesty, pure heart, raw pain, and overwhelming talent, this one is bound to captivate you and leave you wanting more,” reads the bio on her official Web site, which features several racy photos of the curvy criminal.
Diaco, 20, was sentenced to five years’ probation last month after successfully completing a drug rehab and education program.
She had pleaded guilty to drug possession and sale charges after police caught her on videotape selling marijuana, cocaine and LSD to undercover officers in and around the NYU campus.
Diaco could have faced up to 25 years in prison had she been convicted at trial – but her site contends she
actually got a bum rap. It calls the NYPD investigation “flawed” and says, “Reporters ran with the story, falsifying facts and attempting to portray her as something she most certainly was not.”
J-Dia also uses the arrest and publicity to promote herself, saying, “She quickly became known as one of the decade’s most infamous drug-dealers,” and “The American public was quickly captivated, infatuated with both the girl on television and the fascinating story behind her.
“J-Dia started a movement with the ludicrous arrest, and letters started pouring in, offering any help they had to give, and begging the DA for J-Dia’s pardon.”
Even though she’s still serving her probation, the site says, “She has since done her time, and has been set free to once and for all set the record straight, move forward, and fulfill her destiny.
“She is young, stunningly gorgeous, and overwhelmingly talented.”
The site says she has a deal with a company called Forget About It Records, and it features a number of J-Dia’s songs, including ones called “Free,” “High” and “New York.”
It also says the singer with “a heart of gold” has embarked on “an admirable mission to house the homeless, feed the hungry, and dispel all notions of suffering.”
One person not impressed with Diaco’s latest act is ex-con Anthony Papa. Papa, 51, wrote to Diaco after seeing her comments on her MySpace profile and attempted to enlist her in his campaign to overturn the state’s Rockefeller drug laws.
He got an e-mail back from one of Diaco’s producers, who said his client was too high and mighty to help.
“We support your cause and wish you luck, but in NO way do we condone you using a young talented girl, full of promise, as the poster child of what’s wrong with America,” the response read.
Papa still thinks it’s the least she can do.
“Crime has been very, very good to her,” he said.
Diaco and her reps did not return an e-mail for comment.