Reggae star Buju Banton's attorneys want to leave case

TAMPA — Reggae star Buju Banton's attorneys want to quit representing him in the appeal of a federal drug case. Attorney Chokwe Lumumba was elected mayor of Jackson, Miss., this summer. Attorney Imhotep Alkebu-lan became special assistant to Jackson's city attorney. The two filed a motion Wednesday in U.S. District Court, asking to withdraw and stating that their new duties "will prevent them from representing him in future proceedings."

Their vigorous defense of Banton won a dismissal of a gun charge in June and left Tampa juror Terri Wright facing a possible misconduct charge for researching the case during trial.

Banton, born Mark Anthony Myrie, is serving a 10-year prison sentence for helping set up a deal to buy and sell 11 pounds of cocaine. His attorneys wanted U.S. District Judge James S. Moody Jr. to order a new trial. Instead, Moody set aside a conviction on a gun charge, reasoning that it might have been affected by Wright's research.

The two defense attorneys also withdrew last week from a murder trial that was supposed to have begun Monday in Oktibbeha County, Miss. The Starkville Daily News in Mississippi reported Saturday that Lumumba first cited mayoral duties in attempting to leave the murder trial. When a judge declined, Lumumba presented documents relating to a health matter, and the defense team's withdrawal was allowed, the account said. In the Tampa case involving Banton, the motion to withdraw has been referred to Magistrate Judge Thomas G. Wilson.

It states that Banton has retained other counsel. 

Source: http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts/criminal/reggae-star-buju-bantons-attorneys-want-to-leave-case/2132985

Buju Banton Weighs His Options

Photo: Riina Asamoa

Reggae superstar Buju Banton is now weighing his options after a Florida federal judge, yesterday, threw out the gun possession charge arising from his drug conviction two years ago.

However, Imhotep Alkebu-Lan, co-counsellor for the embattled reggae star, real name Mark Myrie told media Buju has 14 days to decide his next move.

Buju was in court seeking a new trial based on allegations that jury fore-woman Teri Wright violated the judge's orders in his February 2011 drug trial.

US District Court Judge, James S. Moody Jr, allowed Buju's conviction to stand but threw out the gun conviction which would have given the artiste an additional five years in prison.

"He (Buju) is now in the deliberation phase and is weighing his options to decide his next move," said Alkebu-Lan.

Moody also instructed prosecutors to bring contempt charges against Wright after accepting she did independent research and also provided the court with an incorrect hard drive for examination.

Compromised decision

The judge found that Wright discussed her findings from the independent research with other jurors, but that it was not possible to say if that had influenced the jury's decisions.

This information came to light after she did a newspaper interview in October 2012.

A computer forensics expert later testified that the hard drive that Wright submitted came from a desktop computer that sat idle from May 2010 to June 2011, a time frame that included the trial and its aftermath.

If found guilty, Wright could face fines and up to six months in prison.

Alkebu-Lan said Banton and his team had 14 days to make an appeal, whilst the prosecutors had 30

Source: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20130627/ent/ent2.html

Buju moved to different jail

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