Biz Markie’s longtime manager, Lamont Wanzer, was an informant for the Drug Enforcement Administration, prior to his death in 2014, according to new court documents reported on by the Baltimore Sun. Wanzer was listed as a “cooperator” for Richard Byrd’s drug organization in an ongoing trial against attorney Kenneth Ravenell for racketeering conspiracy and money laundering. Ravenell has represented Byrd in the past.
Wanzer is never revealed by name; however, recorded conversations feature a man being referred to as Wanzer’s nickname, “Monte,” and discussion of his company, BizMont. BizMont was ran by Wanzer and Markie.
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Wanzer and the “Just A Friend” rapper also ran Loc Marketing, a marketing and events company that acted as a front for laundering Byrd’s money from drugs.
DEA Task Force Operator David Phillips said Wanzer had “first-hand knowledge about the business dealings and practices of Loc Marketing” and he’d “advised your affiant that the Byrd DTO used Loc Marketing to launder large amounts of currency that he believed were the proceeds of narcotic sales.”
Notably, none of Wanzer’s involvement implicates Biz Markie as having been involved with the DEA. Markie passed away, earlier this year, due to health complications stemming from diabetes.
Wanzer died of cancer in 2014.
[Via]