Dallas Austin, a Grammy-winning producer to superstars such as TLC, Madonna and Michael Jackson, was sentenced Tuesday to four years in prison for cocaine possession in the United Arab Emirates, according to his defense lawyer.

He will be deported after serving his prison term according to the court ruling, said lawyer Qays Hatem al-Zu'bi.

Austin had pleaded guilty to a charge of carrying 1.26 grams of cocaine into Dubai. He told the court on Sunday that he had made an unintentional mistake and did not mean to break the law in the United Arab Emirates.

The 34-year-old Atlanta producer and songwriter was arrested May 19 at Dubai's airport after being caught trying to bring cocaine into the country. He was on his way to a three-day birthday party for supermodel Naomi Campbell at a Dubai hotel.

Despite the sentence, Austin's legal team said it was working Tuesday to secure his release. Al-Zu'bi refused to comment on whether Austin may be pardoned by Dubai's ruler, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

"Whether he will stay in prison will depend on how things unfold over the course of the day. We have no comment on what we are doing for him at this stage," said al-Zu'bi.

Austin's first major success was Boyz II Men's 9 million seller 'Cooleyhigharmony' in 1992.

He has worked on Madonna's 'Bedtime Stories', Brandy's 'Never Say Never' and Aretha Franklin's 'A Rose Is Not A Rose' and has several hits to his credit, including Pink's "Just Like a Pill" and TLC's "Unpretty."

He won a Grammy Award for best R&B album in 1999 for producing TLC's multiplatinum "Fanmail."

Editor: Donald