prosecutors Archives - New Hip Hop News

Lil Durk’s Engineer Brings Forth Information That Could Expose Prosecutors’ Murder-For-Hire Evidence

December 17, 2024 by newhiphopnews

An engineer to the rescue? Justin Gibson, stage name jusvibes, is a close collaborator of Lil Durk’s. He’s been working with him since 2021, and he possibly has some crushing and crucial information that could derail the prosecutors’ case against the Chicago rapper. As you most you may know, The Voice is currently facing two murder-for-hire cases. The first of them involves the act of slaying Quando Rondo’s cousin, Saviay’a Robinson, back in August 2022. The second one has to do with an alleged Chicago gang leader, Stephon Mack.

He’s allegedly the head honcho of the Smashville faction of the Gangster Disciples. In recent unsealed documents, they claim that Lil Durk assisted in the funding of Mack’s murder back January 2022. But in this article, we are going to be focusing on the case that started it all for the veteran drill MC. According to HipHopDX, Mr. Gibson (jusvibes) sent in an affidavit to the court over the weekend on Sunday, December 15.

Lil Durk’s Collaborator Attempts To Help His Friend Out

In his paperwork, he attempted to poke some major holes in the prosecutors’ evidence that they have against him. That is that the goverment believes that Durk was trying to make money off lyrics he wrote and included on the song “Wonderful Wayne and Jackie Boy.” On the track, there is some audio that says, “Look on the news and see your son/ You screamin’, ‘No, no‘.” Prosecutors claim that this was taken after the death of Quando Rondo’s late cousin.

However, Gibson is refuting that evidence and saying that particular audio was taken well before that tragic event. He claims he was with Durk in the studio when he was recording his verse on January 25, 2022. Additionally, there were some attached screenshots of a rough draft of “Wonderful Wayne and Jackie Boy” that originally called “2 Toxic.” Those images were also from that aforementioned date. It will be interesting to see how prosecutors move forward with this now on the table thanks to Gibson.

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Diddy’s Prosecutors Explain Why His Lawyers Are Wrong About His Bail Package

November 22, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Diddy and his legal team have admitted to breaking some rules in their trial preparations and quest for bail, but they still stand by the latter as an absolute necessity. For those unaware, a hearing on his new bail motion (one of many) will take place today (Friday, November 22) in New York federal court. Ahead of this hearing, prosecutors issued a letter to Judge Arun Subramanian explaining why they think Sean Combs does not deserve bail and why the defense’s arguments in favor of bond are faulty. Specifically, they targeted defense attorneys’ claims that he should get bail because other powerful people with similar charges have gotten bail.

Diddy’s defense team’s arguments relate to the 2024 sex trafficking case of Michael Jeffries, who secured a $10 million bond with electronic home monitoring and other conditions. However, prosecutors argue that this case is different for a few different reasons. The first is that Jeffries only faced charges of violence and obstruction in relation to sex trafficking, whereas Combs faces similar charges in other areas plus an additional racketeering charge and the use of firearms.

Diddy’s Prosecutors Argue Against His Bail

https://twitter.com/meghanncuniff/status/1859982555359137876?s=12&t=6N2L99mKx7LzXYhb_3_zwQ

The second reason that prosecutors offered as to why the defense’s arguments for Diddy’s bail are flawed is that Jeffries’ alleged conduct ended by 2015 at the very least. On the other hand, federal authorities allege that Combs’ alleged behavior persisted all the way through 2024, and that this allegedly present activity changes his circumstances. Finally, prosecutors argued that since the Bad Boy mogul is much younger with a criminal history, and since Jeffries is 80 years old with no criminal history, their cases can’t compare as closely as the defense team believes.

All in all, it will be interesting to see what the judge concludes concerning Diddy’s bail motion, and whether this latest attempt is any different from those prior. Defense lawyers also bashed the prosecution, though, so this isn’t just a one-sided allegation of bad behavior. Combs’ lawyers alleged that prosecutors altered the footage of him assaulting Cassie in a hotel and used misleading evidence to taint the narrative. A judge will have to find a balance between these dangerous and damning accusations from one side to another.

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Diddy’s Lawyers Accuse Prosecutors Of Altering Cassie Footage & Using Misleading Evidence

November 21, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Diddy continues to face an uphill legal battle in his federal case for alleged sex trafficking, and the stakes are raising for both sides of the court. Moreover, this debacle concerns the defense’s attempts to secure bail, for which they recently filed their reply in support of said request according to journalist Meghann Cuniff, who provided a PDF of the legal filing. They allege that prosecutors altered the footage of the Bad Boy mogul assaulting Cassie in a hotel room for the first bail hearing, and that they used misleading evidence in support of their allegations. This relates to the prosecution’s claim that Sean Combs attempted to tamper with witnesses and manipulate the trial for himself.

As you can probably tell, the Diddy case now finds itself in a very dangerous situation. Basically, both sides of the court launched allegations at one another that could seriously jeopardize their credibility, legality, level of trust, and legitimacy. Still, the court has yet to make any significantly final judgements on any of these accusations, which will surely continue as the pre-trial and trial proceedings heat up in the near future.

Diddy’s Defense Team Continues Their Accusations Against The Prosecution

Diddy's lawyers have filed their reply in support of his bail request.

It says prosecutors in his first bail hearing "submitted an altered video that omitted key scenes and presented events materially out of order."

PDF: https://t.co/DH96VoGZ72 pic.twitter.com/czLIvOEE8s

— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) November 21, 2024

For example, there has been a lot of recent debate around whether or not prosecutors and the court are doing everything in their power to ensure they don’t violate Diddy’s rights. One of these questions circles around some photos that folks allegedly took of trial notes that authorities seized during a raid on his jail cell. However, again, it’s very possible that the court will eventually place blame on either the prosecution or the defense, and that both entities can’t emerge unscathed at the same time. In other words, it seems to not be a question about whether the court will find someone at fault, but rather who.

In fact, a lot of folks wonder whether Diddy can even have a fair trial in the first place, given just how large the scale of this scandal ended up becoming. Maybe his celebrity will work out in his favor during trial, or maybe it will be his downfall. Either way, the important thing to focus on is the evidence and the maintenance of a fair and just trial process.

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Diddy Prosecutors Vehemently Deny Leaking Cassie Footage As Mogul’s Legal Team Explores Every Option

October 31, 2024 by newhiphopnews

One of the big conflicts between federal prosecutors and the defense in the Diddy case concerns the 2016 footage of him assaulting his then-girlfriend Cassie. His legal team accused the federal government, specifically the Department of Homeland Security, of leaking this video to the press, something that the government denied yet again in a new motion filed late Wednesday (October 30). Moreover, they responded to these allegations by claiming that Sean Combs’ legal team wants to “suppress a damning piece of evidence” and make it so that jurors don’t see him “brutally physically assaulting a victim.”

More importantly, federal prosecutors claimed it is impossible for them to have leaked the video of Diddy and Cassie to CNN because they did not have the video in their possession when it emerged in May. They also alleged that his legal team knows this well, and are instead using these accusations to prevents its use as evidence in his trial next year. “Without any factual basis, the leak motion seeks to suppress highly probative evidence […] by claiming that it was grand jury material leaked by government agents,” prosecutors posited in writing. “But, as the defendant is fully aware, the video was not in the Government’s possession at the time of CNN’s publication and the Government has never, at any point, obtained the video through grand jury process.”

Diddy At An Atlanta United & Inter Miami CF Game In 2023

Diddy Trial Cassie Footage Leak Response Evidence Hip Hop News — Jul 25, 2023; Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA; Recording artist Sean Combs attends the game between the Atlanta United and the Inter Miami CF at DRV PNK Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports via Imagn Images

If Diddy faces conviction for allegations of sex trafficking and racketeering, he could face life in prison. His lawyers demanded an investigation into this footage’s emergence, alleging that it “led to damaging, highly prejudicial pre-trial publicity that can only taint the jury pool and deprive Mr. Combs of his right to a fair trial.” Furthermore, Combs’ lawyer Marc Agnifilo alleged that the government leaked the Cassie footage to the press to ruin his reputation and chances at defense, claiming that they used it to prejudice him without context rather than using it as trial evidence informed by other elements and additional pieces of alleged proof.

Nevertheless, this new filing from prosecutors also addressed Diddy’ demands for the government to reveal the names of his alleged victims. Federal prosecutors shot this down, citing that it would “pose serious risks” to alleged victims’ safety. They also referenced his alleged “significant history of violence and obstruction” that caused the court to deny his bail, warning of possible witness tampering.

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Young Dolph Trial’s Prosecutors Catch Heat For Only Trying One Of Three Suspects

September 20, 2024 by newhiphopnews

The murder trial of Young Dolph just got a bizarre update, as it seems like only one of three suspects charged with his murder will stand trial on Monday, September 23. According to FOX 13 Memphis, this announcement came from a spokesperson for the Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk’s Office, and they clarified that Justin Johnson (one of the alleged gunmen) will begin trial. However, many folks expressed outrage as to why the other two suspects will not begin their trial as well, despite the fact that the court scheduled them to appear on the same day. Moreover, the other suspects are the attack’s alleged mastermind Hernandez Govan and alleged gunman Cornelius Smith.

FOX 13 attempted to clarify this development with the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office on whether or not this will be one trial, multiple proceedings, and why the other two suspects will apparently not be tried starting Monday by prosecutors. On multiple occasions, the D.A.’s office reportedly stated that they could not answer their questions due to a risk of compromising a current investigation into Young Dolph’s murder. Johnson and Smith face charges of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder among others, whereas Govan faces a first-degree murder charge and a conspiracy to commit first-degree murder charge.

Young Dolph At Rolling Loud New York 2021

Young Dolph Trial Suspect Prosecutors Trying Only One Hip Hop News — NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 30: Young Dolph performs during Rolling Loud New York 2021 at Citi Field on October 30, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Jason Mendez/Getty Images)

Furthermore, this is similar to the reasoning that prosecutors used last month to explain why they refused to clarify whether or not Govan would face trial alongside Johnson and Smith. The latter duo remains behind bars, and they have for over two years now. Govan, on the other hand, saw release in 2023 on bond. Elsewhere, a fourth suspect in Young Dolph’s murder, Justin Johnson’s brother Jermarcus, pleaded guilty to three counts of accessory after the fact in 2023 and has yet to receive his sentence.

Meanwhile, Young Dolph’s loved ones continue to honor his life and legacy. “Today I will live in gratitude, celebrating & cherishing every single memory we created in life together…” his partner Mia Jaye recently shared via Instagram on what would’ve been his 39th birthday. “Thank you for every lesson you taught us, sacrifice you made for us and for the beautiful spirit you graced the world with… May we continue to feel your presence through your absence… and may our eternal love reach you where your spirit resides… Happy Heavenly Birthday my love…”

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Lil Woody Claims Prosecutors Almost Got On Their Knees To Get Him To Testify

August 28, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Lil Woody says that prosecutors were ready to get on their knees in an effort to beg him to testify. He made the comments in jail calls that were played for the jury in court on Wednesday as Woody continues to testify in the ongoing YSL RICO case. When Young Thug’s attorney Brian Steel asked who specifically he was referring to, Woody remarked, “Ms. Love.” He appeared to be referencing Assistant Chief District Attorney Adriane Love. A clip of the moment is going viral on social media.

“I just wonder who is going to play Steel in the movie,” one fan on X (formerly Twitter) wrote in response. Another added: “Wait them grabbing him when he posta be in court ain’t that messing with his due process??” One more defended Woody: “This is fabulous, but I’m worried about Woody being targeted in a big way by Love at this point. You know she’s plotting.”

Brian Steel Arrives At Fulton County Courthouse

Brian Steel, attorney for rapper Young Thug, arrives at the Fulton County Courthouse on November 27, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia. Opening statements are set to begin in the case against 31-year-old US rapper Young Thug and 28 others, who are facing a racketeering indictment accusing the defendants of a number of offenses that support an overarching conspiracy charge, including murder, assault, carjacking, drug dealing, and theft. (Photo by Christian Monterrosa / AFP) (Photo by CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA/AFP via Getty Images)

The viral moment comes after Woody recently admitted to having lied about Thug back in 2015. “The police kept locking me up for whatever they could,” he said. “Every time I counted the door, the police was on me, and they keep bringing up Thug’s name. So what I did was to get ’em out off me, I said, ‘Thug did this. Thug did that. Thug,’ because I knew they were—I knew he didn’t do it.”

Lil Woody Says Prosecutors Begged Him To Testify

Check out the clips of Woody’s latest viral moment in court below. On Tuesday, he made headlines for trying to get Steel to say the n-word. Be on the lookout for further updates on Lil Woody on HotNewHipHop.

LMFAOOOO boy pointed at Ms. Love https://t.co/Ll4dVzC6PQ pic.twitter.com/4gRHOD9pz6

— THUGGERDAILY ひ (@ThuggerDaily) August 28, 2024

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YNW Melly Awaits His Murder Retrial As His Lawyer Blasts Florida Prosecutors

July 4, 2024 by newhiphopnews

The YNW Melly mistrial for double murder was one of hip-hop’s biggest stories last year, and it’s far from over yet. Moreover, he still awaits a retrial, but a new Instagram post from his lawyer Bradford Cohen points to a heated battle between prosecutors and the defense. Specifically, Cohen responded to an appeals court standing by a judge’s blockade of prosecutors cross-examining a state attorney if she becomes a witness in the retrial. In his message, the attorney blasted his opposition at Broward County, Florida’s State Attorney’s office and madeb it clear that he feels very displeased with how this whole situation played out.

“Essentially, the Broward State Attorneys Office really screwed this case up,” YNW Melly’s lawyer expressed on social media. “I have never seen anything like it. Literally refused to pass this case to an unconflicted state attorneys office after the defense listed one of their own state attorneys as a witness. They wanted to be able to cross examine the state attorney that was what amounted to a whistle blower and testified that a police officer lied.

YNW Melly’s Attorney Speaks Out

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bradford Cohen (@lawronin)

“The lower court ruled that the Broward State Atty Office can not cross examine one of their own,” YNW Melly’s attorney continued. “That means if they stay in the case, there will be no cross examination of the State Attorney that testified the lead detective lied about the service of a subpoena. The appellate court just agreed with the lower court. A real circus over this case and mishandled from the 1st day when I was in the case. Bad investigation and even a worse trial. To think that the Broward State Attorneys Office would mishandle an important double murder case because of ego… unbelievable.”

Meanwhile, YNW Melly also appeared in headlines recently thanks to Kendrick Lamar’s mention of him on his Drake diss track, “Euphoria.” “Kendrick Lamar is one of my favorite rappers so I feel honored and appalled… I’m a household name, just for the wrong s**t!” Melly stated to TMZ about the controversial shout-out. We’ll see whether or not this retrial bodes better news for him in the future.

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Young Thug’s RICO Case: Prosecutors Have Surprisingly Long List Of Witnesses

November 16, 2023 by newhiphopnews

The long-awaited YSL RICO trial is scheduled to begin on November 27, and so far, it looks like prosecutors plan to call on quite a few witnesses. Young Thug’s attorney Brian Steel appeared in court today (November 16), requesting that Judge Ural Glanville exclude more than 300 of them at the upcoming trial. Prosecutors then confirmed that there are a whopping 737 of them in total.

Fulton County prosecutor Adriane Love defended the long list of potential witnesses. She claimed that they’re necessary in depicting the “pattern” of alleged racketeering. “It would be different if it were just one murder or just one aggravated assault or just one burglary on the indictment, your honor,” she explained. “But there is—there are lists of acts that we seek to show, to introduce as evidence to show the pattern of racketeering activity that they conspired to commit.”

Prosecutors Have 737 Witnesses

Hip-hop artist Young Thug arrives at a release party for his new album “PUNK” at Delilah on October 12, 2021 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Michael Tullberg/Getty Images)

The news also follows the judge’s decision to allow lyrics to be used against members of YSL in court. Steel pushed for them not to be permitted to no avail. “Your honor, someone can look at that indictment and say one thing’s for sure: that’s not fantasy,” prosecutor Mike Carlson said in court. “People are dead and murdered and a gang exists.” Soon after the judge made his decision, prosecutors called attention to lyrics from Young Thug’s Juice WRLD collab, “Bad Boy.” They accused him of bragging about shooting at YFN Lucci’s mother in the track. “I shot at his mommy, now he no longer mention me,” the lyrics read.

While it’s been speculated that the lyrics reference YFN Lucci, there hasn’t been any official confirmation. Young Thug has remained behind bars since May of 2022. He is also now one of only six remaining defendants awaiting trial. What do you think of prosecutors’ long list of witnesses in Young Thug’s RICO case? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below, and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.

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YNW Melly’s Prosecutors Call His Defense Team “Flawed”

October 8, 2023 by newhiphopnews

YNW Melly’s retrial for double murder is coming up, but not before each side can levy accusations at each other about its previous mistrial. Moreover, his defense team claimed that prosecutors tried to cheat their way to a conviction, according to court documents obtained by HipHopDX. The specific allegations are that lead detective Mark Moretti told a Broward Country Sheriff’s deputy to falsely state their presence as he- with excessive force- executed a search warrant on the rapper’s mother. Not only that, but Assistant State Attorney Michelle Boutros accused Moretti of unethical behavior. However, an internal affairs investigation in the Miramar Police Department concluded that this contradicts her previous testimony about the detective, plus other accounts that he did nothing wrong.

Furthermore, YNW Melly’s attorneys motioned for the court to block the state attorney’s office from the case. The prosecution responded by telling Judge John H. Murphy that this move is misguided. “Defendant’s flawed reasoning and rank speculation provides no grounds to disqualify the Office of the State Attorney […] and accordingly his motion must be DENIED,” they filed. “A court should hesitate to impose the drastic measure of disqualification of Government counsel. Recusal should be granted only when necessary.”

YNW Melly In 2019

YNW Melly Trial Prosecutors Defense Flawed Hip Hop News — WEST HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 08: YNW Melly attends Murda Beatz 25th Birthday + GRAMMY Celebration on February 08, 2019 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for 2wenty 2wenty Music)

With all this considered, Judge Murphy is expected to conclude on these and other motions in about a week. Regardless, though, there are other factors at hand that could continue to push the retrial back. For example, YNW Melly and YNW Bortlen faced accusations of witness tampering recently. These claims came straight from the state’s attorney’s office. While the Florida MC’s legal team called this a “distraction” from the prosecution’s improper behavior, this could prove crucial.

Meanwhile, the “223s” MC’s retrial was supposed to commence tomorrow (Monday, October 9). Due to these controversies and other motions, it will instead take at least one more week for it to begin. Given how chaotic and contentious the last trial was, this should be a similarly difficult case to pin down. On that note, log back into HNHH for more news and updates on YNW Melly.

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Prosecutors Allege Fredo Bang Picked Up YNW Melly After Murders Of YNW Juvy & YNW SakChaser

June 12, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Broward County Prosecutor Kristine Bradley claimed that Fredo Bang (Fredrick Givens) picked up YNW Melly after he murdered YNW Juvy and YNW SakChaser. In addressing the court on Monday during the first day of Melly’s double murder trial, Bradley explained that Melly sent Bang a pin of his location.

“What you’re also going to find out, is that while Mr. Demons (Melly) is out there on the side of the road at four in the morning, 4:42 specifically, he sends a drop pin– a digital homing beacon to his current location, to one of his friends, Fredrick Givens,” Bradley began.

The Prosecution Brings Up Fredo Bang

Prosecutors says Fredo Bang picked up YNW Melly after the murder of YNW Juvy and YNW SakChaser pic.twitter.com/K2NjF2HVyx

— No Jumper (@nojumper) June 12, 2023

She continued: “Fredrick Givens is also involved in the music industry. And he [Melly] asked to be picked up. Fredrick Givens then, about 11 minutes later, is sent another drop pin where Mr. Demons has moved a couple of meters. What you’re going to find out as well though, is these digital leashes they have more than just phone calls…” Check out her full remarks on Fredo Bang above.

In Melly’s defense, his attorney, David A. Howard, argued on Monday that neither the police nor the prosecution has been able to produce a realistic motive for the rapper killing his “best friends.” “Do you know what does require motive?” he asked rhetorically. “A young man to wake up one day and decide that he’s going to kill two of his best friends – best friends that he grew up with; best friends that he hangs out with; best friends who he lives with; best friends whose careers he was trying to launch alongside his own. They have no reason for why he would do this because there is no reason. And if there’s no reason, it doesn’t make sense.” He also cited an Instagram user who posted about committing the murders afterward. Keep an eye out for more updates regarding YNW Melly’s double murder trial as the week continues.

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