Crime and Justice
Page: 4
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Sean Combs, also known under his stage name Diddy, was charged on Tuesday (September 17) after he was arrested at a New York hotel on Monday. Diddy faces charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transporting for prostitution according to recently revealed court documents.
The news of the indictment has spread like wildfire through social media channels as the details of the case continue to unravel. As reported by TMZ, the indictment notes that between 2008 and the present day, Sean Combs and those connected to his business ventures are accused of forced labor, sex trafficking, transporting for prostitution, kidnapping, arson, and other related charges.
At the center of the unsealed indictment were details that date back to 2008 to the present day alleging that Combs lorded over his enterprise and used his money, power, and influence to unleash abuse towards women and men, including those who performed sex work. Also revealed were details of the so-called “Freak Off” parties where Combs used drugs to control his victims and have them do his bidding. During these parties, Combs allegedly masturbated and often recorded the events, while also transporting the sex workers across state lines to participate.
The Freak Offs were so intense according to the documents, Combs and the victims would need to rehydrate intravenously to recover from the high levels of drugs in their systems. The documents also revealed that Combs employed his staff to keep these parties stocked with lubricants, bedding, lighting, baby oil, and more, then had the staff clean up the evidence.
Combs’ homes in Miami and Los Angeles were famously raided earlier this year with officials discovering narcotics, a thousand bottles of lubricant and baby oil, and high-powered weaponry including three AR-15s that had their serial numbers forcibly removed.
The legal team for Diddy says that the Bad Boy Records mogul is showing a brave face and is willingly cooperating with the authorities. On Tuesday, attorney Marc Agnifilo shared some brief statements.
“His spirits are good. He’s confident,” Agnifilo said to a media throng gathering outside the Manhattan courthouse. He added that Combs intends to “fight like hell” against the allegations and intends to plead not guilty.
Source: John Lamparski / Getty
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams is currently holding a press conference discussing the matter in full. We were unable to connect the stream but it can be found online.
On X, reactions to Diddy’s indictment being announced are still cropping up. We’ve got them listed below.
—
Photo: Getty
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Source: Facebook / facebook
The circumstances around the death of Illinois truck driver Javion Magee bearing similarities to a lynching have sparked outrage and concern on social media.
A young Black truck driver from Chicago, Illinois by the name of Javion Magee was found dead in a rural area of North Carolina last Wednesday (September 11). Since then, social media users have been outraged at the way that Magee was found with a rope around his neck leaning up against a tree near his truck, suggesting that he was lynched.
“It’s a lot of holes in this case, it’s a lot of questions and not enough answers in this case,” said family spokesperson Candice Matthews in an interview with ABC7Chicago. “There’s no transparency that’s going on in this case. This family wants transparency, this family wants accountability, this family wants justice.” In a post on X, formerly Twitter, a user named Pier Jaree who states that she is Magee’s cousin accused the authorities in Henderson of preventing the family from identifying the body.
My cousin Javion Magee was found hanging from a tree in Henderson, NC. They will not let his mom identify the body due to “covid restrictions” which screams foul play. Please circulate!! @AttorneyCrump @aclu_nc @ABC11_WTVD @ABC7Chicago @nbcchicago
— Pier Jarae (@UrbanBlackGirl) September 12, 2024
Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame spoke to the media on Friday (September 13) about the incident, confirming the condition that Magee was found in. “I understand there’s over 1,000 hits on TikTok (accusing) the sheriff’s office of not being transparent, not providing information to the family and that is not true,” Brame said. “There’s been information put out there that there’s a lynching in Vance County. There is not a lynching in Vance County. The young man was not dangling from a tree. He was not swinging from a tree. The rope was wrapped around his neck. It was not a noose. There was not a knot in the rope, so therefore, it was not a lynching here in Vance County.”
Brame also confirmed that Magee’s body was sent to the medical examiner for a preliminary autopsy, where their results indicated that the body showed no signs of defensive struggle. He also said that he wouldn’t rule it a suicide despite saying there weren’t signs of foul play. Brame also confirmed that the FBI has joined the investigation. The information hasn’t convinced many on social media, who are joining Magee’s family members in calling for more law enforcement involvement and noting similarities in the police response to what occurred in the death of Sandra Bland.
Take a look at the responses to Magee’s death below.
1. Rebirth
2. KionnahW
4. BCherise
5. MothTongue
7. Jordan Taylyr
HipHopWired Featured Video
Lil Baby was arrested on Monday (August 26) and booked on gun possession charges after being caught with a handgun inside a Las Vegas nightclub. According to reports, Lil Baby was arrested and held on a $5,000 bond but was released from custody after posting the amount.
TMZ reports that Lil Baby, real name Dominique Jones, was at the Encore resort in Las Vegas and was found with a weapon on his person that he was not permitted to carry according to a breaking news report from TMZ. The outlet says that the Atlanta rapper was handed the firearm by another individual and the act was witnessed by an unknown individual but sparked police to investigate the matter.
In a statement, the attorney for Lil Baby wrote, “To be clear, Dominique Jones has a valid Georgia Carrying a Concealed Weapon (CCW) Permit. On his behalf, we are actively investigating the facts and circumstances surrounding his arrest in Las Vegas.”
A Georgia CCW permit would not be valid in the state of Nevada.
The My Turn star has not made any public statement regarding the arrest, nor have any details emerged regarding why he was given the firearm or who was responsible for handing it over to him.
Lil Baby is due in Las Vegas on October 1 for a hearing related to the charges.
—
Photo: Getty
HipHopWired Featured Video
Quando Rondo was in court earlier this week in connection to his drug case in Georgia, changing his previous not-guilty plea to guilty inside a federal court. With the rapper pleading guilty to a lesser charge, Quando Rondo still faces up to five years behind bars in connection to the matter.
As reported by WSAV, Quando Rondo, 25, appeared in court this past Tuesday (August 13) to change his not-guilty plea to guilty for a conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana charge.
After his court appearance, the rapper, real name Tyquian Bowman, told WSAV that he’s on a new path and hopes that it reflects in his actions going forward.
“I just want everybody to know I’m a changed person, I’m changing every day, and God has the last say so, Rondo said.
Adding to his statement to the press, Rondo apologized to his hometown in a bid to further display his changed ways.
“I really want to give an apology to the city of Savannah, and I want to give an apology to my family, friends, loved ones, most of all to my daughters,” Rondo added.
The rapper is still releasing music and has a new project, Here For A Reason, to release on Friday (August 16) according to WSAV’s report.
“I’m forever gonna rap! Nothing can affect music,” Rondo shared with WSAV.
Quando Rondo is due back in court on December 12 for his sentencing and will remain free on bond until then.
—
Photo: Getty
HipHopWired Featured Video
PnB Rock was senselessly murdered in 2022 during a robbery in California and a jury has found the two of the three individuals involved guilty on all counts in the trial. Freddie Trone was found guilty of sending his teenage son to rob and subsequently gun down PnB Rock inside a popular soul food restaurant.
Rolling Stone reports that Freddie Trone, 46, ordered his son, 17 at the time, to enter the Roscoe’s House of Chicken ‘N Waffles in South Los Angeles after being tipped off by Tremont Jones, 46, that PnB Rock and his fiancée Stephanie Sibounheuang entered the eatery.
Under Trone’s orders, the masked teenager confronted the Philadelphia artist demanding his jewelry while threatening Sibounheuang by saying, “If you don’t give me the jewelry, I’m going to blow her head off” as heard in court testimony.
After nine days of testimony, the jury decided that Trone was guilty of one count of felony murder, two counts of robbery, and one count of conspiracy. Jones was found guilty of two counts of robbery and one count of conspiracy. Trone’s son, now 19, was found incompetent to stand trial and is still being held in a juvenile facility.
Deana Allen, the mother of PnB Rock, real name Rakim Allen, offered a statement to Rolling Stone after the verdict was heard in a Compton, Calif. court.
“I’m elated. I wanted to jump up and scream, ‘Hallelujah.’ I’m so happy it was quick. We got justice for Rakim. I feel better knowing they’ll be in jail for a long time.”
PnB Rock was 30.
—
Photo: Gilbert Carrasquillo / Getty
HipHopWired Featured Video
Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson is mostly known these days for his work as a leading power player in the entertainment industry, but he hasn’t lost his sharp sense of humor. After a judge dismissed a lawsuit brought against him by a former drug lord alleging that his story was lifted, 50 Cent taunted the man in his typical sarcastic fashion.
As exclusively reported by AllHipHop, Cory “Ghost” Holland launched a lawsuit back in 2021 against 50 Cent, Courtney Kemp, Starz, and Lionsgate for allegedly stealing his life story for the Power series.
Holland asserted in his lawsuit that the character of Ghost on Power modeled his own life, and retold his time on the street on a 2007 musical release. Holland claims he sent a CD of the album, titled Blasphemy, to the father of Kemp in order to find his way out of the drug game. Holland accused 50 Cent and the show’s co-creators of stealing his life story for the show.
New York District Judge Hon. Analisa Torres dismissed Holland’s claims within the three-count lawsuit. Judge Torres ruled in the first matter that the character of Ghost in the Power series never directly referenced Holland so the defamation claim was tossed.
In a second lawsuit, Holland claimed that 50 Cent sent people to harass and threaten him while showing up in his neighborhood. On the third matter, Holland said that people connected to 50 played a song that suggested a threat near his home.
Holland left behind a paper trail towards 50 and his camp, clearly illustrated in a letter obtained by AllHipHop with Holland explicitly stating there would be violent consequences.
50 Cent, never one to let a moment pass, took to Instagram and shared an image of a report regarding the tossed lawsuit and wrote in the caption, “Fool thought he was GHOST [laughing emoji] da fvck wrong wit these [Ninja emoji]’s man LOL @bransoncognac @lecheminduroi.”
—
Photo: Getty
HipHopWired Featured Video
Young Thug will remain behind bars along with his co-defendants after the new judge overseeing the YSL RICO trial has denied the group bond. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker also denied requests by prosecutors to place gag orders on attorneys from speaking to the media.
As reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Young Thug attorney Brian Steel stated to the court that his client has been living under poor conditions at Cobb County and asked that the rapper be released and placed on house arrest during an argument for bond.
In response, Judge Whitaker said to Young Thug and his co-defendants’ defense team, “I’m not going to reconsider any bond issues that have already been considered and ruled upon by another court absent legitimate changed circumstances.”
Whitaker came into view after Chief Judge Ural Glanville recused himself due to an ex-parte meeting held in secret in June with prosecutors and a state’s witness. Running for 19th months now, the trial remains the longest Georgia court history but Whittaker promises to move things along.
“It should not take another seven months,” Whitaker said to attorneys during a motion hearing on Tuesday (July 30).
State prosecutors said to the court that they will aim efforts at calling 105 witnesses to the stand. Whitaker is ordering the state to compile a list of evidence in connection to the next 30 witnesses they plan to call.
Further, AJC added in its reporting that the judge is looking over the case to decide whether or not to proceed with the case against Young Thug and his five co-defendants. Four attorneys from the defense have filed mistrial motions with two being denied by Whitaker thus far.
—
Photo: Getty
HipHopWired Featured Video
The state police of Illinois have filed charges against a now-former sheriff’s deputy who killed a Black woman in her own home after she called law enforcement about suspicious activity near her home.
On Wednesday (July 17), a grand jury in Sangamon County, Illinois, returned a five-count indictment against a former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy who reportedly shot and killed a Black woman, Sonya Massey (pictured above), who called police to her home about an intruder.
State’s Attorney John Milhiser announced the charges against former Deputy John Grayson, which include first-degree murder, official misconduct, and aggravated assault with a firearm. Milhiser said that the investigation by the Illinois State Police “did not support a finding that (Grayson) was justified in his use of deadly force.”
This investigation also included the body camera footage from the night of July 6, when Massey called police to her home on the 2800 block in Springfield at 1 a.m. Gunfire was reported at the address at 1:21 a.m..
The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office had not offered any comment before the charges were announced, deferring to the Illinois State Police. Massey’s family and community activists held protests last week demanding that the body camera footage be released.
“It is clear that the deputy did not act as trained or in accordance with our standards,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement, further writing: “In times like these, it is crucial for leadership across all sides and spectrums to come together to heal our community.” Grayson was terminated shortly after the incident. He is expected to make his first court appearance on Thursday afternoon (July 18). Prosecutors are seeking to detain him per the Pretrial Fairness Act.
Attorney Ben Crump, notable for representing the families of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, is representing the Massey family in the case. “This news is a step toward justice for Sonya’s loved ones, especially her children, who have endured unimaginable pain and suffering since they were notified of this tragedy,” Crump said in a statement. “We remain committed to uncovering the truth of what happened and identifying the failures that allowed this tragic death to occur.”
The attorney also said in the statement released on Wednesday that Grayson allegedly shot the 36-year-old woman in the face. Massey’s family viewed the body camera footage from that night in private that evening. The funeral for Massey will be held on Friday (July 19).
—
Photo: Facebook/Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office
HipHopWired Featured Video
It seems like whenever Lil Reese begins to trend on social media it’s almost never for anything positive and unfortunately that once again happens to be the case.
According to TMZ, the Chicago rapper was just arrested and booked in Los Angeles for allegedly raping a woman he went on a date with.
Reese and the woman in question went out on a dinner date this past Saturday night (July 13) before he took her to a hotel in Downtown Los Angeles where the sexual assault allegedly occurred. Once in the hotel room, the woman rejected Reese’s sexual advances before she said he forced himself on top of her and sexually assaulted her.
TMZ reports:
We’re told the woman then went straight down to the hotel lobby, and called the police around 3:30 AM Sunday.
We’re told officers promptly arrived on the scene and arrested Reese on suspicion of sexual assault and rape.
Boosie Badazz was an apparent witness to the arrest and put out an APB on Reese’s friends to bail him out.
Lil Boosie being there at the same time and seeing Reese hauled off to jail was hella random.
Lil Reese was eventually released on a $100K bond.
What do y’all think of the situation that Lil Reese finds himself in? Let us know in the comments section below.
—
Photo: Johnny Nunez / Getty
HipHopWired Featured Video
Irv Gotti, the Murder Inc. Records co-founder and longtime music executive, faces a lawsuit from a woman who claims she was raped by the New York native. The lawsuit was filed in Miami-Dade County and accuses Irv Gotti of sexually assaulting the woman over two years across several locales.
The Miami New Times reports that the lawsuit against Irv Gotti, 54, was filed on July 11 in Florida’s Miami-Dade County courts. The alleged victim, using the name Jane Doe, claims that Gotti, real name Irving Lorenzo, sexually assaulted her between 2020 and 2022 across Atlanta, Miami, and the island of Saint Martin.
More from Miami New Times:
“As a result of this sexually abusive relationship, Plaintiff has suffered severe emotional and psychological harm for which she had to be committed to a psychiatric ward,” the lawsuit (attached at the bottom of this story) reads. “These injuries continue and affect Plaintiff to this day.”
The woman alleges that she and Gotti met through a mutual friend at a poker tournament in the summer of 2020, and Gotti invited her on a vacation to Saint Martin afterward. But upon arriving on the Caribbean island, Gotti allegedly coerced her into having sex with him, threatening to send her home if she didn’t.
The lawsuit states that Gotti and Jane Doe entered into a romantic relationship but claims that she was forced to perform sex acts against her will and verbally abused her. According to the filing, Jane Doe claims that Gotti would demand she perform sexual favors under the pressures of coercion.
Irv Gotti has yet to respond to the lawsuit and explosive allegations within.
—
Photo: Getty