In May 1994, Mason was arrested and charged with two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Mason threatened his ex-girlfriend, who was then 16 years old, and a Latino man who she had been dating, with a firearm. Mason struck a plea bargain and was convicted of weapons charges.[12] He was in and out of prison for years, and was released in August 1999.[2]