Two Plead Guilty To Scam In Roc Nation, Wu-Tang Clan Case

Two men have pleaded guilty to a scheme in which they pretended to be affiliated with the legendary hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan and Jay-Z’s entertainment company Roc Nation in order to scam hotels and luxury limousine companies out of thousands of dollars worth of goods and services, the Department of Justice said this week.

According to the DoJ, Aaron Barnes-Burpo and Walker Washington both pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud, a charge that could land both up to two decades in prison.

According to an Associated Press report from when the trial first began in February, Barnes-Burpo and Washington took advantage of hotels to the tune of more than $100,000, including some of the most luxurious hotels in the southern U.S.

Will R. Kelly Escape Prison?

R. Kelly is doing a very good job right now, but the big question is, Will R. Kelly Escape Prison? Only time will tell.

Not only has R. Kelly been avoiding any more jail time, he has also be complying with his child support payments. Seems they tried they best to make Kellz look stupid by saying he can't read or write.

Paul Wall And Baby Bash Facing Prison Time

After their arrest last week, Paul Wall and Baby Bash faced a judge in court on Tuesday (December 27) about felony drug charges. The two entertainers were arrested in a drug bust at a smoke shop that was advertised on Instagram. According to KENS5, two officers paid to get into the event and saw large amounts of THC wax, marijuana, and pills.

While Paul was initially charged with possession of a controlled substance with internet to deliver, it has since been changed to engaging in an organized crime with possession for intent to deliver THC. Both Paul Wall and Baby Bash will have to submit to random drug tests as part of their bond.

If Paul Wall and Baby Bash are convicted on first degree felony drug charges, they could face a minimum of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of life.

Drako Signs With Babygrande Records

Drako, the rising 24 year-old Atlanta artist, grew up in a household where drug and alcohol abuse permeated all aspects of his existence. From a young age, Drako was in-and-out of juvenile detention, as he became involved in drug dealing and robberies in order to support his siblings. In order to escape the hardships of life, music became Drako’s therapy, and he moved around his neighborhood rapping for any audience he could find.

He was recruited to join a group called 138, and through his experiences with the group, he knew that he wanted to rap professionally. It wasn’t long before Drako went solo, capitalizing on his talent by dropping a mixtape every week. His persistence earned the attention of local radio and club DJs around Atlanta. However in order to maintain his musical output and support his family, Drako continued to hustle and commit robberies which led to a massive roadblock in his career. Drako was arrested and spent over a decade in prison.

Released from prison in 2015, Drako moved to West Atlanta and once again focused on music. Word spread fast and through a network of friends and fans Drako's music hit the radar of the 15 year-old seminal record label, Babygrande Records.

Babygrande tracked Drako's recordings for almost a year, and as a final test of Drako’s skill the label invited him to share a SXSW stage with Ugly God, Peewee Longway and others. No one in the Texas audience had ever heard of him or his music, but by the second song, Drako had The Mohawk venue TURNT UP!

Realizing Drako’s presence was undeniable, Babygrande signed him on the spot. In 2017, Drako and Babygrande plan to unleash multiple singles and videos, the first of which is the Yoksta (Future, Ralo, OJ Da Juiceman) produced banger "Watch Me Do It."

El Chapo Says He's Broke

Requests made by the defense of notorious drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman were batted down by the judge overseeing his second hearing at a federal court in Brooklyn on Friday, February 3. Attorneys representing Guzman argued that his prison conditions have been "too restrictive," with them citing that he has been ordered to remain locked in a cell for 23 hours out of the day. "He's only permitted out for limited members of our office and one hour of exercise a day — it's extremely restrictive," public defender Michelle Gelernt said while advocating for a lightening on the restrictions. But Judge Brian Cogan wasn't sympathetic to his plight.

"They're taking extra security measures. I think we all know the reasons for that," Cogan said. His statement was in reference to El Chapo's reputation for escaping prison, a feat he's famously pulled off from maximum security institutions twice before.

El Chapo now also faces pressure to speed up the process of acquiring the services of a private lawyer, after Cogan ordered him to disclose his financial status. The Mexican kingpin has faced questions as to why he is receiving the counsel of public defenders when his fortune has been assessed well into the billions. Prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York cited the success of his Sinaloa Cartel, a report by Forbes Magazine, and the U.S. government's $14 million suit against him as evidence that he can afford a lawyer, in a letter delivered to Cogan last week. However, Gelernt insists on his behalf, that El Chapo Guzman "has no ability to hire a lawyer" because for the time being the restrictions placed upon him prevent him from being in contact with family and associates who might be able to extend him access to funds.

For the time being Cogan has ruled that Guzman may continue to receive the services of a public defender, but must submit an affidavit making a case for why he currently needs one.

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Fetty Wap Sentenced to Six Years In Prison

 

Fetty Wap was sentenced to six years in prison in his federal drug conspiracy trial after pleading guilty in August to one count of conspiracy to possess and distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine. 

Lil Wayne Facing 10 Years In Prison

 

Lil Wayne is facing 10 years in prison after the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida charged him with 1 count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. This stems from a December 2019 incident where feds searched Wayne's private jet in Miami and found a gun and ammunition. 

Lil Wayne's attorney, Howard Srebnick, commented on the situation back in December, stating that the rapper was "cleared " to leave the airport after the search, despite drugs and guns being found aboard. His team has not provided a new statement in regards to the federal charges, but Wayne is expected to appear in court next month. 

Why R. Kelly Received 30 Years In Prison

 

R. Kelly is now expected to serve 30 years behind bars after his sentence was announced today in New York. The R&B legend would find himself in trouble after several women over the years would come forward to share their stories regarding abuse.

Chicago-born R&B superstar R. Kelly has been sentenced to 30 years in prison in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, punctuating a remarkable fall from grace after decades of sexual misconduct allegations.

Will Bill Cosby Prison Sentence Get Overturned?

Bill Cosby

This just in from The Wrap!

In a document filed Friday, Bill Cosby’s defense team argues that Judge Steven O’Neill was wrong to declare that the actor fit the description of a “sexually violent predator,” which requires him to undergo lifetime counseling and report quarterly to authorities. His name will also appear on a sex-offender registry sent to neighbors, schools and victims.

They also added that prison sentence was extreme, given that the standard for that crime is two to three years, and that Cosby is a partially blind 81-year-old.

Cosby was convicted in April of assaulting Temple University employee Andrea Constand at his Pennsylvania home in 2004.

An arrest was made on Dec. 30, 2015, but the initial trial ended in a mistrial on July 2017 after the jury was unable to reach a verdict. During his subsequent retrial in April, jurors heard testimony from Constand, as well as five other Cosby accusers, including model Janice Dickinson, who testified that the comedian raped her in Lake Tahoe, California, in 1982.

Man sent to prison for faking ties to Wu-Tang Clan and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation

A Florida man is facing hard-knock time for pretending to be associated with famous hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation company.

Aaron Barnes-Burpo, 29, of Crestview, Fla., was sentenced to seven years in federal prison Monday after his guilty plea for committing wire fraud, according to David H. Estes, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.

Barnes-Burpo and co-conspirator Walker Washington, 52, who is awaiting sentencing, ran their scam for several weeks, Estes said.

Gansta Marcus Talks Yo Gotti, Roc Nation, And Mississippi Prisons

In case you haven't heard, Jay-Z and Yo Gotti is out to sue Mississippi prison systems for all the wrong doing the system has encountered throughout the years.

Yo Gotti and Jay-Z's Team Roc, Roc Nation's social justice department, announced they joined forces in order to hire legal representation for 29 inmates in Mississippi. Those inmates criticized the prison conditions they and others have to endure and have called for change.

Ohio rapper Gansta Marcus instantly praised this notion and for good reason. Read the questions and how he answered each one with a home run answer.

OJ Simpson Soon To Be Released

A reputed legal analyst from Sports Illustrated and a University of New Hampshire law professor have both reported that they are confident O.J. Simpson will soon see the light of day, projecting that he will be released from prison come summer time.

"He's the kind of person who gets paroled. He has done a significant amount of time and, by all accounts, hasn't caused any problems [while in prison]," says Vegas criminal defense attorney Daniel Hill, who agrees with assessments made by SI's Michael McCann and U of NH professor Jon Wertheim.

Simpson, 70, has been serving time at Nevada's Lovelock Correctional Center since 2008, when he was convicted of a burglary which involved him attempting to take some of his playing days memorabilia from the Palace Station Hotel-Casino the year prior. The Hall of Fame NFL running back would be found guilty on 12 counts of charges ranging from conspiracy, to burglary and robbery, to kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon. The crime would land him a 33 year sentence.

Should Simpson earn an early release, he'd no doubt have to comply with a set of conditions that includes regular meetings with a parole officer, regular searches of his home and vehicles, and the need to acquire permission to leave his home state.

Simpson's release is dependent upon him proving that he would be a low-risk threat to society. Such a determination is made following a comprehensive review which weighs his performance in 11 concrete areas, including disciplinary write-ups, history of drug or alcohol abuse, and prior probation or parole revocation.

Lil Boosie Changes His Rap Name

Boosie Badazz was always a nickname that the rapper trotted out; his 2006 solo album, which included the banger “Zoom,” was titled Bad Azz, its followup three years later was called Superbad: The Return Of Boosie Bad Azz and his record label imprint is known as Bad Azz Entertainment. But the official name change puts him in the categories of the Jeezy’s and the Bow Wow’s of the rap world who had previously given up the no-longer-age-appropriate “Young” and “Lil” qualifiers in their rap names.

Lil Boosie is out of prison after more than five years behind bars, and now he’s got a new rap name to go along with all that newfound freedom. On two of his most recent appearances—”Beez Like” off Jeezy’s Seen It All and “Jet Fuel” from T.I.’s “Paperwork”—the Baton Rouge MC has been credited in the liner notes as Boosie Badazz rather than his original name Lil Boosie. Today a rep for the rapper confirmed that the liner notes weren’t an accident, and that they reflected an official name change for him.

Since Boosie was released from prison this past March he’s dropped a slew of featured verses, but his long-awaited comeback album, Touch Down 2 Cause Hell, has been pushed back repeatedly since its initial July release date. Currently, there’s no projected date for the LP to hit the streets, but his standout feature on Tip’s Paperwork will hit shelves when the album officially drops tomorrow.

Should Keefe D get Life in Prison for Murder of Tupac?

 

 One of the last living witnesses to the fatal shooting of Tupac Shakur, was charged with murder. He is a onetime gangster linked to the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur has admitted he knows who shot the rapper dead.

Keefe D pleaded not guilty to the murder of Tupac Shakur, 27 years after the influential rapper's shooting. Now his request to be freed from prison before his trial has been receiving some heat as prosecutors state he's too dangerous.

Rapper Gunned Down In Queens

A rapper with close ties to +Curtis Jackson was shot and killed Friday when a gunman in a black ski mask unloaded on an SUV full of people in Queens. Three other people in the SUV were wounded, including a 22-year-old man who was hit in the neck and shoulder and was in critical condition, police said. A second 22-year-old man was wounded in the arm, and the fourth victim, a woman in her 20s, suffered a graze wound to the neck.

Paramedics rushed the three survivors to Jamaica Hospital. Cops were also scouring area hospitals for a possible fifth victim. Mazaradi Fox, 42, whose real name is Jamal Green, was killed at the corner of Farmers Blvd. and 133rd Ave. at about 4:10 p.m. when the shooter rolled up to a white SUV and opened fire. Police sources said Fox stumbled out of the SUV and collapsed in a nearby driveway.

Fox, a native of Jamaica, Queens, was released from prison on Dec. 20 after serving two years in prison for an attempted assault. He was also convicted of attempted murder in 1998. He was a childhood friend of 50 Cent and was a member of the “In Da Club” rapper’s crew +G Unit.

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Rikers Island Jail Soon To Close It's Doors

Rikers, which has 10,000 beds, is a 400-acre jail complex located on an island in the middle of the East River, between Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx. The New York City Council voted Thursday to close the massive Rikers Island jail complex, one of the largest jails in the country, and replace it with four smaller jails across four of the city's boroughs.

"Rikers island is a symbol of brutality and inhumanity and it is time for us to once and for all close Rikers Island." "As a city we must do everything we can to move away from the failed policies of mass incarceration."

Rikers has become infamous for lack of oversight, excessive force and neglect. The jail housed some inmates with short sentences, but mainly served as a holding center for thousands awaiting trial.

Also: Should Bill Cosby Have Went To Prison

Opponents of closing the jail have worried about housing the inmates in residential neighborhoods. The new jails would only contain a total of 3,300 beds — compared to a current population of roughly 7,200 inmates.

The American Civil Liberties Union also celebrated Thursday's vote, calling it the "start of the long-overdue process."

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TWUM Hottest Lil Boosie Moments

If you are a fan of "Lil Boosie," then this is the page that you would like to be on. "The Wrap-Up Magazine" would like for you to check out Lil Boosie's hottest moments on there site. Lil Boosie, is an American rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Bill Cosby is a free man

Bill Cosby is a free man. On June 30, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned the comedian's felony sexual assault conviction nearly three years into his three-to-10-year prison sentence. The 83-year-old was discharged from state prison and driven home -- he cannot be retried. In 2018, he was found guilty of drugging and assaulting Andrea Constand, a Temple University employee, at his home in 2004. According to the state's Supreme Court judges, Cosby should not have faced a criminal trial because a previous district attorney had years earlier agreed not to charge the man once known as America's Dad after he was deposed in a civil lawsuit that Andrea brought in 2005 in which he gave potentially incriminating testimony. The Supreme Court also disagreed with the trial judge's decision to let five other women testify to prove a pattern of abuse. In layman's terms, the high court said the disgraced comedian's rights were violated. Following his release, many in Hollywood reacted with disgust.

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Juelz Santana Facing Up to 20 Years in Prison

The rapper allegedly admitted that he tried to bring a gun on a flight earlier this year while in court this past Thursday (August 17). Santana reportedly pled guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon along with carrying a weapon on an aircraft.

Because of that, the rapper is facing up to 20 years in prison when sentencing comes around. His date for sentencing is December 12, 2018. This news comes right after a judge pushed back Juelz Santana’s original trial date, which was set for September 4, 2018. This was done so that Santana and his legal team could work on negotiating a plea deal.

Leader Of Gulf Cartel Arrested

Gulf Cartel leader Juan Francisco Saenz-Tamez was arrested on October 9, 2014, while shopping in Edinburg, Texas, authorities announced yesterday, when Saenz-Tamez made an appearance in a Texas court on drug trafficking charges. His ascend to the top is further proof that the Gulf Cartel is in a steady decline after the imprisonment of many of its leaders.