CONVICTED Reggae artiste Buju Banton has been transferred from the Pinellas County Jail to the Citrus County Jail in Tampa, Florida.
The artiste will be processed by correctional staff at that penal facility before he knows where he will spend his 10 year sentence for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five or more kilogrammes of cocaine. His attorney David Oscar Markus told the Observer that the prison board had not yet decided which prison Banton will be housed.
He was sentenced in the Sam Gibbons US Court by Judge James Moody two Thursdays ago.
Banton, whose is registered as Mark Anthony Myrie, will not have any of his assets seized by the United States government after testimony by a drug enforcement agent that despite investigating him for over a year, there was no evidence that he profited from any illicit drug transaction.
He was arrested in December 2009 at his home in South Florida hours after his two co-defendants, Ian Thomas and James Mack were arrested after they attempted to buy large amounts of cocaine from federal agents in a police controlled warehouse.
Both men have pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 51 months.
Banton meanwhile has signalled his intention to earn a Masters degree in political science and economics during his incarceration.
Despite being sentenced to 10 years, the Grammy winning artiste could be set free in six years as his 18 month remand while awaiting the outcome of his trial and good behaviour while in prison could see him spending just six years.
Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Buju-moved-to-different-jail
Showing posts with label buju banton mark myrie trial bail jail. Show all posts
Showing posts with label buju banton mark myrie trial bail jail. Show all posts
Jul 3, 2011
Jun 27, 2011
Buju turns to academics - Artiste pursuing master's degree
Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Buju-turns-to-academics_9068454
AS Buju Banton says goodbye to his freedom for what could be at least six years behind US prison walls for a drug conviction, the Rastafarian reggae artiste says he intends to spend his time seeking higher learning.
Speaking exclusively with the Sunday Observer after his 10-year sentence was handed down in the Sam Gibbons Federal Court in Tampa, Florida last Thursday, Banton (real name Mark Anthony Myrie) said he was already attending classes inside the Pinellas County Jail in Tampa and planned to attain a master's degree by the time his federal sentence is served.
"I am already going to classes. I have passed the acceptance test and I will be studying political science and economics. I hope to get a master's by the time I am released," Myrie said.
With steely resolve ringing in his voice during a telephone conversation with this newspaper, Myrie was adamant that he would not crumble under the pressures of incarceration and said he was determined to make good out of his troubles.
"I can do anything I put my mind to; you know that. I have balls of steel. People who know me know that I am very determined and will achieve my goals despite hardships. I will not allow the system to conquer me," the artiste declared.
In the United States, inmates serving federal time are allowed to pursue tertiary education in an effort to rehabilitate them and curb the high rate of recidivism.
A study by the Graduate Centre of the City University of New York revealed that inmates who take college classes while in prison are four times more likely to stay out of trouble when they are released. The research showed that only 7.7 per cent of inmates who took college courses returned to prison, compared to 29.9 per cent of those who did not. The New York study also found that college prison programmes save US taxpayers about US$900,000 per 100 students every two years.
Myrie's attorney, David Markus, has repeatedly pointed to his client's strength of character and told reporters that despite being jailed for 18 months since December 2010, the artiste had remained optimistic and in high spirits.
Markus was dismissive of suggestions by reporters outside the courtroom that guilty pleas by Myrie's co-defendants Ian Thomas and James Mack had a bearing on the 10-year sentence meted out to the artiste.
Thomas and Mack both received sentences of 51 months after filing guilty pleas. Both were held attempting to purchase a large quantity of cocaine from undercover drug enforcement agents in a police-controlled wharehouse in Sarasota, Florida, hours before Myrie himself was arrested at his home in Tamarac, South Florida and carted off to jail.
"There is a big difference. Mark has fought two trials and I think that stands for what kind of character Mr Myrie is to the other people," Markus said.
Myrie, dressed in his grey prison uniform with shackles around his ankles, seemed resigned to his fate in the courtroom last Thursday, even flashing a brief smile after his sentence was handed down by United States Judge Jim Moody .
He laughed loudly many times during his brief conversation with the Sunday Observer.
He repeated his expression of thanks for the outpouring of support and urged his fans and well-wishers to be strong.
"Even though the days ahead may be filled with despair, I will prevail over this malady that has befallen me. I may be down but not out and I shall return," was his message.
Markus has signalled his intention to appeal the judgement in an appellate court in Atlanta, Georgia and exuded confidence that the possibility exists that the 38-year-old Myrie could be out of prison in two years if his arguments hold water with a three-member panel of judges.
Moody had on Thursday dropped the charge of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug offence against Myrie.
"We are looking forward to the appeal," said Markus. "We believe we have a lot of good issues on the appeal and now that we have knocked out two of the counts we have got two to go. We are not going to stop fighting on those two."
Buju Banton, the only surviving son for his late mother and the only son sired by his father Benjamin Myrie, shot to prominence in the early 1990s with the hit song Browning. He ruled the world of dancehall with his raspy vocals and catchy lyrics before his conversion to the Rastafarian faith about six years later.
Since then, he has had five Grammy nominations and was awarded the Reggae Grammy earlier this year for his album Before The Dawn, just weeks before he was convicted by a 12-member panel of jurors for his role in a cocaine deal.
An earlier trial in 2010 ended in a mistrial after a jury could not unanimously decide on his guilt or innocence.
AS Buju Banton says goodbye to his freedom for what could be at least six years behind US prison walls for a drug conviction, the Rastafarian reggae artiste says he intends to spend his time seeking higher learning.
Speaking exclusively with the Sunday Observer after his 10-year sentence was handed down in the Sam Gibbons Federal Court in Tampa, Florida last Thursday, Banton (real name Mark Anthony Myrie) said he was already attending classes inside the Pinellas County Jail in Tampa and planned to attain a master's degree by the time his federal sentence is served.
"I am already going to classes. I have passed the acceptance test and I will be studying political science and economics. I hope to get a master's by the time I am released," Myrie said.
With steely resolve ringing in his voice during a telephone conversation with this newspaper, Myrie was adamant that he would not crumble under the pressures of incarceration and said he was determined to make good out of his troubles.
"I can do anything I put my mind to; you know that. I have balls of steel. People who know me know that I am very determined and will achieve my goals despite hardships. I will not allow the system to conquer me," the artiste declared.
In the United States, inmates serving federal time are allowed to pursue tertiary education in an effort to rehabilitate them and curb the high rate of recidivism.
A study by the Graduate Centre of the City University of New York revealed that inmates who take college classes while in prison are four times more likely to stay out of trouble when they are released. The research showed that only 7.7 per cent of inmates who took college courses returned to prison, compared to 29.9 per cent of those who did not. The New York study also found that college prison programmes save US taxpayers about US$900,000 per 100 students every two years.
Myrie's attorney, David Markus, has repeatedly pointed to his client's strength of character and told reporters that despite being jailed for 18 months since December 2010, the artiste had remained optimistic and in high spirits.
Markus was dismissive of suggestions by reporters outside the courtroom that guilty pleas by Myrie's co-defendants Ian Thomas and James Mack had a bearing on the 10-year sentence meted out to the artiste.
Thomas and Mack both received sentences of 51 months after filing guilty pleas. Both were held attempting to purchase a large quantity of cocaine from undercover drug enforcement agents in a police-controlled wharehouse in Sarasota, Florida, hours before Myrie himself was arrested at his home in Tamarac, South Florida and carted off to jail.
"There is a big difference. Mark has fought two trials and I think that stands for what kind of character Mr Myrie is to the other people," Markus said.
Myrie, dressed in his grey prison uniform with shackles around his ankles, seemed resigned to his fate in the courtroom last Thursday, even flashing a brief smile after his sentence was handed down by United States Judge Jim Moody .
He laughed loudly many times during his brief conversation with the Sunday Observer.
He repeated his expression of thanks for the outpouring of support and urged his fans and well-wishers to be strong.
"Even though the days ahead may be filled with despair, I will prevail over this malady that has befallen me. I may be down but not out and I shall return," was his message.
Markus has signalled his intention to appeal the judgement in an appellate court in Atlanta, Georgia and exuded confidence that the possibility exists that the 38-year-old Myrie could be out of prison in two years if his arguments hold water with a three-member panel of judges.
Moody had on Thursday dropped the charge of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug offence against Myrie.
"We are looking forward to the appeal," said Markus. "We believe we have a lot of good issues on the appeal and now that we have knocked out two of the counts we have got two to go. We are not going to stop fighting on those two."
Buju Banton, the only surviving son for his late mother and the only son sired by his father Benjamin Myrie, shot to prominence in the early 1990s with the hit song Browning. He ruled the world of dancehall with his raspy vocals and catchy lyrics before his conversion to the Rastafarian faith about six years later.
Since then, he has had five Grammy nominations and was awarded the Reggae Grammy earlier this year for his album Before The Dawn, just weeks before he was convicted by a 12-member panel of jurors for his role in a cocaine deal.
An earlier trial in 2010 ended in a mistrial after a jury could not unanimously decide on his guilt or innocence.
Feb 27, 2011
'Remain confident,' Buju tells dejected friends
Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Remain-confident-Buju-tells-dejected-friends_8442012
TAMPA, Florida — Grammy-winning Jamaican reggae artiste Buju Banton was said by close friends to be in good mental condition yesterday, four days after his conviction on gun and drug charges which could land him prison for life.
The Sunday Observer has learnt that the artiste has been consoling and encouraging friends who have been devastated by his conviction last Tuesday.
A number of persons told the Sunday Observer between then and yesterday that the artiste has been showing amazing strength in the Pinellas County jail where he is awaiting sentencing.
No specific date has been set for Banton's sentencing, but his attorney, David Oscar Markus, said it would be within the next three months.
"I called him yesterday crying and he was the one encouraging me to keep strong," said a friend of the artiste, who asked not be named.
"He's is doing fine," said another earlier last week. "He is encouraging us to remain confident."
These accounts are in line with Markus' assessment of the artiste's mindset immediately following the conviction. "We are all devastated," Markus told a group of reporters outside the Sam M Gibbons Federal Court in downtown Tampa where the case was tried. "He seems to be the only person that is doing well."
One of the reasons given for the strength being displayed by Banton, whose real name is Mark Myrie, could be his confidence that his conviction will be overturned on appeal or his insistence that he is innocent.
The 37-year-old artiste had said during his two days in the witness box that if he were guilty of the crime for which he had been charged he would have accepted the two-year plea deal offered to him by the prosecution.
Banton has also been telling depressed friends, "It's not over," in reference to his appeal.
The artiste has been convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five or more kilogrammes of cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking offence, and using the wires to facilitate a drug-trafficking offence.
However, he was found not guilty of attempted possession with the intent to distribute cocaine.
Banton was arrested on December 10, 2009 hours after two men — Ian Thomas and James Mack — were busted in an undercover warehouse where they had gone to purchase cocaine. US$135,000 was seized and the gun for which Banton was charged was found in Mack's car. Both men have pleaded guilty and are yet to be sentenced.
The operation was set in train in July 2009 as a result of Banton's bragging to US government informant Alexander Johnson that he was a financier of drugs and sought his assistance in expanding his venture.
The prosecution has contended that Banton was instrumental in brokering the deal, which resulted in the arrest. But Banton said that he was not part of the deal, even though he introduced Thomas to Johnson.
Banton said he was merely talking when he spoke with Johnson about making drug deals and that it was Thomas who brokered the deal. The artiste said he backed away from Johnson after December 8, 2009 when Johnson showed him cocaine in a warehouse. Banton was captured on video tasting the drug.
Banton's first trial last September ended with a hung jury, paving the way for the retrial, which began on February 14.
TAMPA, Florida — Grammy-winning Jamaican reggae artiste Buju Banton was said by close friends to be in good mental condition yesterday, four days after his conviction on gun and drug charges which could land him prison for life.
The Sunday Observer has learnt that the artiste has been consoling and encouraging friends who have been devastated by his conviction last Tuesday.
A number of persons told the Sunday Observer between then and yesterday that the artiste has been showing amazing strength in the Pinellas County jail where he is awaiting sentencing.
No specific date has been set for Banton's sentencing, but his attorney, David Oscar Markus, said it would be within the next three months.
"I called him yesterday crying and he was the one encouraging me to keep strong," said a friend of the artiste, who asked not be named.
"He's is doing fine," said another earlier last week. "He is encouraging us to remain confident."
These accounts are in line with Markus' assessment of the artiste's mindset immediately following the conviction. "We are all devastated," Markus told a group of reporters outside the Sam M Gibbons Federal Court in downtown Tampa where the case was tried. "He seems to be the only person that is doing well."
One of the reasons given for the strength being displayed by Banton, whose real name is Mark Myrie, could be his confidence that his conviction will be overturned on appeal or his insistence that he is innocent.
The 37-year-old artiste had said during his two days in the witness box that if he were guilty of the crime for which he had been charged he would have accepted the two-year plea deal offered to him by the prosecution.
Banton has also been telling depressed friends, "It's not over," in reference to his appeal.
The artiste has been convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five or more kilogrammes of cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking offence, and using the wires to facilitate a drug-trafficking offence.
However, he was found not guilty of attempted possession with the intent to distribute cocaine.
Banton was arrested on December 10, 2009 hours after two men — Ian Thomas and James Mack — were busted in an undercover warehouse where they had gone to purchase cocaine. US$135,000 was seized and the gun for which Banton was charged was found in Mack's car. Both men have pleaded guilty and are yet to be sentenced.
The operation was set in train in July 2009 as a result of Banton's bragging to US government informant Alexander Johnson that he was a financier of drugs and sought his assistance in expanding his venture.
The prosecution has contended that Banton was instrumental in brokering the deal, which resulted in the arrest. But Banton said that he was not part of the deal, even though he introduced Thomas to Johnson.
Banton said he was merely talking when he spoke with Johnson about making drug deals and that it was Thomas who brokered the deal. The artiste said he backed away from Johnson after December 8, 2009 when Johnson showed him cocaine in a warehouse. Banton was captured on video tasting the drug.
Banton's first trial last September ended with a hung jury, paving the way for the retrial, which began on February 14.
Feb 23, 2011
Buju back in Pinellas County Jail
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Buju-back-in-Pinellas-County-Jail
JAMAICAN Reggae artiste Buju Banton is now languishing in the Pinellas County Jail in Tampa, Florida where he spent almost 11 months while awaiting trial in 2010.
Banton, real name Mark Myrie, was transferred to the penal facility yesterday after the guilty verdict on three drug-related offences were handed down by a panel of jurors, which included three African-American women.
When the jury returned with their verdict after 11 hours of deliberations, the three African-Americans were observed smiling.
Banton was detained immediately after the guilty verdict was handed down and had his bail revoked.
During his first stint in jail, the artiste reportedly lost weight and was being housed in an isolated section of the Pinellas County Jail as punishment for sharing his food with inmates.
He complained bitterly that he was being denied vegetarian meals and had lost weight, but prison authorities countered by saying that he had actually gained a few pounds.
JAMAICAN Reggae artiste Buju Banton is now languishing in the Pinellas County Jail in Tampa, Florida where he spent almost 11 months while awaiting trial in 2010.
Banton, real name Mark Myrie, was transferred to the penal facility yesterday after the guilty verdict on three drug-related offences were handed down by a panel of jurors, which included three African-American women.
When the jury returned with their verdict after 11 hours of deliberations, the three African-Americans were observed smiling.
Banton was detained immediately after the guilty verdict was handed down and had his bail revoked.
During his first stint in jail, the artiste reportedly lost weight and was being housed in an isolated section of the Pinellas County Jail as punishment for sharing his food with inmates.
He complained bitterly that he was being denied vegetarian meals and had lost weight, but prison authorities countered by saying that he had actually gained a few pounds.
Oct 8, 2010
Buju Banton defense fund set up - Lawyer says trial has taken a financial toll
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Buju-Banton-defense-Fund-set-up
Buju Banton defense fund set up
Lawyer says trial has taken a financial toll
DAVID Markus, the defence attorney representing Jamaican Reggae singer Buju Banton has set up a fund to assist the cash-strapped artiste pay his legal fees for the upcoming retrial in December.
Markus told the Observer that the cost of the first trial has taken a huge financial toll on the artiste and asked fans, friends and supporters of the artiste to assist in any way they can.
Funds can be wired to:
Markus & Markus, PLLC
(Defense Fund for Buju Banton)
40 NW Third Street, PH 1
Miami, FL 33128
Citibank, N A
Coral Way Branch
1600 Coral Way
Miami, FL 33145
ABA # 266086554
Account # 9118130472
For international wires the Swift Code is CITIUS33.
Banton will know next week if he will be given bail as United States judge Anthony Porcelli reserved his judgement when Markus argued for bail this week.
He faces a sentence of 20 years to life if he is found guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five or more kiolgrammes of cocaine.
Banton's first trial in September ended in a mistrial after a panel of jurors failed to come to a unanimous verdict, following three days of deliberations.
He has been languishing in the Pinellas County Jail in Tampa. Florida for almost ten months after he was arrested by Federal Agents at his home in Tamarac, South Florida.
Oct 6, 2010
Another week in jail for Buju - Judgement reserved in bail hearing
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Another-week-in-jail-for-Buju
Another week in jail for Buju
Judgement reserved in bail hearing
JAMAICAN Reggae star Buju Banton, must languish for another week in the Pinellas County Jail in Tampa, Florida before he will know if he will be granted bail.
United States Judge Anthony Porcelli today reserved judgement in the bail hearing for the artiste and said he would make a ruling next week. Porcelli said he wanted to thoroughly review the arguments put forth by the defence and prosecution before making a judgement.
Banton's lawyer David Markus, is contending that his client is not a flight risk because of his popularity and says he will seek a bond in an immigration court if Banton is given bail.
But prosecutor James Preston is staunchly opposing bail on the grounds that Banton is indeed a flight risk and asked for the application to be thrown out without a hearing.
Banton has been in jail since December last year when he arrested and charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five or more kilogrammes of cocaine.
Last week a panel of jurors failed to arrive at a unanimous verdict forcing the case to end in a mistrial.
A date in December has been set for a retrial but Porcellii did not set a date today.
It is expected that the date will be set when the ruling is made next week.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)