Crime and Justice
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G Herbo faced up to 20 years behind bars for a credit card scheme that involved a boutique puppy business, a Jamaican villa, and other illegally obtained assets. The Chicago rapper pleaded guilty to the charges last summer and received three years of probation related to the matter.
As reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, G Herbo, 28, was handed down the three-year probation sentence on Thursday (January 11) after using stolen credit cards to finance a scheme that involved the aforementioned puppy business, private jets, and other items.
U.S. District Judge Mark G. Mastroianni ordered the rapper, who was born Herbert Wright III and once rapped under the moniker Lil Herb, to pay restitution totaling $139,968 and hand over assets equally that same amount according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
From the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts website:
“On social media, Mr. Wright boasted an extravagant lifestyle. He gave the impression that his use of private jets, luxury cars and tropical villas were the legitimate fruits of his booming rap career as “G Herbo.” However, his lavish lifestyle was shamelessly built on deceit and fraud using stolen account information that inflicted substantial harm on numerous businesses, leaving a wake of victims burdened with financial losses.” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “This case should serve as a stark reminder that breaking the law leads to prosecution and accountability, regardless of who you are, how many likes you rack up or how many followers you have.”
As was revealed in 2020, G Herbo was able to obtain stolen credit card information from so-called “dark web” sites. The scheme also involved forged identification cards, licenses, and email accounts as seen in the indictment records.
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2. Good luck, Lil Smurf.
5. Mans is stumped.
6. What crimes are people doing out here?
9. Read is…you know the rest.
10. “That’s hate” (JBP)
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Pras Michel and his legal issues are still hanging over his head but on Wednesday (January 10), he entered a new hearing with a new legal team. The Fugees rapper is now represented by a new legal team featuring Doug Jones, a former senator who represented Alabama.
As reported by Vulture, Pras Michel, 51, was convicted on 10 counts of connected to a conspiracy to influence the Chinese government in Washington, D.C. nearly nine months ago. He has since fired his former attorney, David Kenner, who Pras has accused of using AI to write the rapper’s closing statement in his earlier trial.
According to the outlet, the hearing for today isn’t typical and suggests that there could be a retrial or acquittal of the previous convictions, this is due to the prosecution’s alleged mishandling of the case and Kenner’s defense tactics.
Before working with Doug Jones, Pras hired new lawyers to handle the Kenner issue and toured for much of the latter part of 2023 with his Fugees bandmates as part of Lauryn Hill’s 25th-anniversary tour in connection to her debut album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
Jones made his mark as a civil rights attorney and was the federal prosecutor who helped convict two members of the Ku Klux Klan for the 1963 bombing of a Birmingham church that killed four Black girls in 2020 and 2021.
The hearing this week will focus on Kenner, who once represented Snoop Dogg in 1996 and aided the popular rapper and pitchman in dodging murder charges. Michel’s side argues that Kenner, 82, was not up to par to represent Michel, especially in a case of that magnitude.
“Upon reviewing the record of Mr. Michel’s previous trial, questions have emerged about the consistency and fairness of the legal process,” shared Michel’s publicist, Erica Dumas, in a statement.
Kenner is expected to take the stand and explain his side while facing accusations of using AI to write Michel’s closing argument statment.
Pras Michel is still awaiting sentencing on the previous conviction but plans to hit the road again with the Fugees this March, according to sources close to Vulture.
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Tiffany Haddish and her legal ordeals have a new development after she entered a not guilty plea in her Los Angeles DUI case. The actor and comedian was arrested in Beverley Hills in November asleep at the wheel.
TMZ, which broke the initial report, shared new details of the DUI case faced by Tiffany Haddish. On Wednesday (December 20), Haddish, 44, entered the plea during her arraignment. Haddish entered the same plea during a DUI case in Georgia.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office brought charges of driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a .08% BAC.
The outlet adds that the Georgia DUI case was set to take place this month but has been postponed. Haddish is asking the courts to deny her blood test results as evidence and said that police conducted an unlawful search of her vehicle.
Haddish appeared in three films this year, Landscape with Invisible Hand, Haunted Mansion, and Back on the Strip.
Tiffany Haddish should be expected to face hearings on both matters in the coming months.
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Quando Rondo was arrested last weekend in Georgia and now faces federal drug charges and other related charges. The “I Remember” artist was arrested without incident but does add to the rapper’s legal woes from this year.
Local outlet WJCL reports that Quando Rondo, 24, was arrested on Friday (December 8) in his hometown of Savannah with city police named as the arresting agency.
The rapper, real name Tyquian Bowman, was inside a vehicle that officers pulled over and he was the only person to be taken into custody. The news outlet was told by an FBI spokesperson that the arrest was related to federal drug charges.
Just under six months ago, Rondo and 18 other individuals were indicted on drug and gang charges in the state of Georgia. Rondo is facing ramifications of allegedly violating the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act due to his perceived role in the Rollin’ 60’s gang organization.
Quando Rondo is also facing a charge of the illegal use of communication for using a cell phone to set up the sale of marijuana.
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Photo: Quando Rondo / @quando_rondo
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The Riverfront Brawl in Montgomery, Ala. was one of the most explosive moments to unfold this year, spawning several memes as the news of the so-called “Fade In The Water” event rippled through social media. Two men involved in the Riverfront Brawl were recently sentenced and one man saw his charges dismissed as another individual will appear in court on Monday (December 11).
Local outlet WSFA reports that Zachary Shipman and Alan Todd appeared in Montgomery Municipal Court last Friday (December 8) and pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of harassment after initially being charged with third-degree assault. Shipman and Todd were given suspended sentences of 60 days and 12 months of probation. Shipmen will serve out his sentence in Dallas County while Todd will do so in Baldwin County according to WSFA’s reporting.
Dameion Pickett, a co-captain of the Riverboat, also appeared in court but his third-degree assault charge was dismissed and he supported the plea agreements made by Shipman and Todd. One other suspect, Reggie Ray, will appear in court Monday to learn what his sentence will be.
The Riverfront Brawl was sparked after the Riverboat was attempting to dock in its usual spot this past August when a private boat was in the way. A dock worker removed a rope that kept the private boat stationary, sparking its passengers to assault the dock worker. An employee of the Riverboat hopped into the water, swam over, and helped to defend the worker along with other observers.
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The Philadelphia City Council voted late last week to issue a ban against the wearing of ski masks in certain parts of the city. The bill is now on the desk of Mayor Jim Kenney, whose office will review the legislation ahead of moving it into law.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the bill, authored by Councilmember Anthony Philips, passed in the council on a 13-2 vote last Thursday (November 30). As the publication reports, the ban would allow police officers to fine individuals $250 for wearing a ski or balaclava mask in parks, schools, day-care centers, on public transit, and in buildings owned by the city.
The balaclava mask, also known as the “Shiesty” mask, is popular in many urban areas and has become something of a clothing staple for some. There are some critics of the ban, believing that the rule will unfairly target people for simply wearing an article of clothing.
Phillips says that his side is working on a marketing campaign for the rule should it come to law. There are questions about how the law would be enforced by police officers, although it seems that many are in favor of the ban.
There is resistance to the ban as groups such as the ACLU and local activists believe that the law will be used by officers to overstep the rights of others.
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Young Thug and his legal team delivered opening statements on Tuesday (November 28), with an attorney telling the court that the rapper’s lyrics are not evidence of crimes. Instead, the lawyer argued that the music told stories about the rough upbringing Young Thug experienced in the streets of Atlanta and not that of an assumed crime lord.
The RICO trial brought by the state of Georgia against Young Thug and over two dozeon other defendants connected to the alleged street operation YSL opened on Monday (November 27) with prosecutors stating that the rapper, born Jeffrey Williams, was the mastermind of a criminal organization.
As seen in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, attorney Brian Steel pushed back at the assertion that Thug’s success was tied to street crimes instead of his successful music career. Framing Thug’s humble upbringing in an Atlanta housing project as one of 11 children, Steel says that the music the rapper would go on to make was nothing more than him unpacking the things he saw as a young person.
Steel’s statements contrasted with those made by Fulton County’s chief deputy district attorney, Adriane Love, who referred to Young Thug under another name: King Slime. Love stated that as King Slime, Thug directed the YSL gang that, quote, “moved like a pack” under his leadership.
Judge Ural Glanville granted prosecutors passage to use 17 sets of lyrics from Thug in the trial to prove their case. Steel argues that the use of the lyrics is nothing more than artistic expression and a violation of free speech.
On X, formerly Twitter, fans are reacting to Young Thug and his current ordeal. Check out those replies below.
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Muhammad Aziz, a man who was wrongfully convicted in the 1865 assassination of Malcolm X, was exonerated of the crime back in 201. Now, Aziz is filing a lawsuit against the federal government over the FBI allegedly withholding proof of his innocence.
Muhammad Aziz, 85, filed the lawsuit in a Brooklyn, N.Y. federal court last week, adding a new chapter to his legal ordeal that landed him more than two decades behind bars. The estate of the late Khalil Islam, another man who was convicted in the assassination plot, also filed a lawsuit. Islam died in prison back in 2009.
Courthouse News Service reports that Aziz is alleging that former FBI director J. Edgar Hoover withheld proof that would have granted Aziz and Islam freedom. Adding to this, former Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance Jr. said during the hearing to clear Aziz and Islam that the FBI and NYPD. both hid witness records that may have cleared the men of any wrongdoing. Vance added that Hoover instructed witnesses in the case to not tell the police or prosecutors of their FBI informant status.
The lawsuits are naming more than a dozen people affiliated with the FBI and reportedly are seeking a combined $80 million in damages. The suit claims that Aziz and Islam were targeted due to their connection to the Nation of Islam despite being at home with their spouses at the time of the 1965 incident.
Thus far, Aziz and the estate of Islam have been awarded $36 million by New York City and the state.
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Business mogul and entertainer Sean Combs, widely known as Diddy, is facing a mountain of a lawsuit connected to alleged abuse and other accusations. A report went wide that the Bad Boy honcho was under criminal investigation but the NYPD shot down those claims.
TMZ initially reported that Diddy was the target of an investigation, which came on the heels of the mogul facing a lawsuit from his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, who claims that Combs allegedly raped her and engaged in human trafficking among other charges. It was reported as a “locked” investigation involving Sean Combs but it appears that was not the case.
The outlet returned to the report with an update that can be read in full below:
The full NYPD statement reads … “Yesterday, a member of the NYPD’s public information office erroneously told a reporter about the apparent existence of an active case file containing the name ‘Sean Combs.’ There is no such investigation, at present. Further, the release of such information is not consistent with the internal policies of the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Public Information. The NYPD always treats allegations of sexual assault and rape extremely seriously, and urges anyone who has been a victim to file a police report so that support and services can be offered to survivors and a comprehensive investigation can be conducted.”
Ventura filed her lawsuit in New York at the federal court level. A statement from Combs has yet to surface.
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L.A. Reid was named in a lawsuit from former music executive Drew Dixon, alleging that the former Epic Records sexually assaulted her during her time at Arista Records where Reid served as its chief executive. Dixon claims that she was assaulted twice by Reid back in 2001 and that he was a barrier to her ascension in the music business after rejecting his advances.
A report from Reuters published this past Wednesday (November 8) details that Drew Dixon filed the suit in Manhattan federal court and asked for unlisted compensation and damages. The suit was filed under New York state’s Adult Survivors Act which allowed Dixon to bypass statutes of limitations expiration dates and bring claims even if they occurred a time ago.
This is not the first time Dixon has addressed her alleged assault, doing so once before in 2017 shortly after Reid stepped down from Epic Records after allegations of unlawful behavior involving a woman who worked for the company surfaced.
Today, Dixon serves as a board member for New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music and was part of the documentary On The Record, highlighting the sexual misconduct allegations that continue to hound Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons.
Dixon, a former A&R for Def Jam Records, worked in the same role at Arista Records while helming the label during Clive Davis’ time. In 2000, Reid replaced Davis in the chief executive position.
The details of the assault, which might be disturbing to some, state that Reid allegedly assaulted her while on a private plane in 2001 and once more after an event in New York that same year.
Dixon left the music industry in 2002 and entered Harvard Business School.
In a statement delivered by her legal team, Dixon said that Redi’s “persistent campaign of sexual harassment and assault forced me to abandon the work I loved when I was at the top of my game in the music business.”
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