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 Banton Returns To Court On June 26

Incarcerated reggae star Buju Banton will have his day in court on June 26, 2013.

Federal Judge James Moody Jr. has ordered the Grammy-winning singer, as well as, embattled juror Teri Wright to appeared in court on the same day in relation to the ongoing juror misconduct case.

Buju Banton and his legal team, headed by Chokwe Lumumba, are requesting a new trial on the grounds of a juror misconduct.

Teri Wright, who helped put Buju Banton behind bars for 10 years, told a South Florida journalist last year that she researched aspects of the case during the trial.

However, a massive dent was dealt to Buju Banton case against the juror last month when a computer expert found no trace of research on her computer hard drive.

Banton’s lawyers, however, said she turned over the wrong hard drive.

Buju Banton, real name Mark Myrie, is currently serving a 10-year sentence in a Florida prison after being convicted for drug trafficking. He is also facing an additional five years for a gun charge that was previously thrown out.

Judge James Moody is expected to hand down a ruling on June 26.

Source: http://urbanislandz.com/2013/04/18/buju-banton-returns-to-court-on-june-26/

Buju Banton to be sentenced June 16

TAMPA, Florida (CMC) – A United States federal judge has set June 16 as the sentencing date for Jamaican Grammy Award-winning reggae star Buju Banton.
Court officials said that Judge James S Moody, Jr will preside over the sentencing of Banton, 37, whose real name is Mark Myrie. The reggae star faces up to 20 years in prison.

Last month, a 12-member federal jury found Banton guilty on three cocaine-related charges, including conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilogrammes or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine.

They also found him guilty of attempting to possess five kilogrammes or more of cocaine, and for aiding and abetting others in using a communication facility in the commission of a felony.

The jury, however, did not find him guilty of knowingly and intentionally possessing a firearm in furtherance of and during the course of a drug-trafficking crime.

The singer has maintained his innocence throughout the trial, the second since a jury reached a deadlock late last year.

Banton’s attorney, David Markus, argued that the artiste never became a willing participant of the cocaine conspiracy arguing that tasting the cocaine, talking about cocaine and simply being present at the warehouse is not sufficient to find Banton guilty of the crimes.

Banton was arrested on December 10, 2009 in a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) sting operation.
Banton‚s long-time friend, Ian Thomas, and another man, James Mack, were arrested the same day when they attempted to buy cocaine from undercover detectives in a Florida warehouse.

Thomas and Mack pleaded guilty, but Buju denied the charges.

Banton, who is in detention awaiting sentencing, thanked his fans for their support, stating: "our life and our destiny are sometimes pre-destined; and, no matter where this journey takes me, remember I fought the good fight.

"It was a great man that said my head is bloody but still unbowed I love you all thank you for your support," he said.

Banton reached the zenith of his singing career on February 13 when his album, 'Before the Dawn', was awarded the Grammy for Best Reggae Album.

Prosecutors charged Banton was the middleman in a cocaine transaction between Tampa dope dealers and a confidential informant working with the DEA.

Banton was caught on covert audio and videotape boasting about the „no-risk‰ drug deal and sampling the illicit white powder, prosecutors said.
"This is not about Buju Banton, the reggae singer. This is about Mark Myrie, the drug defendant," Assistant US Attorney James Preston said during his closing argument.
But Markus countered that the singer did not profit from the drug deal, stating that Banton was snared in the DEA probe because he is "a big talker" and was trying to impress the confidential informant, who ended up with a US$50,000 commission following the bust.

Markus said he has filed a motion in the United States District Court, Tampa Division, asking for acquittal or a new trial, and that the reggae star be released on bail.
But prosecutors said that they would be seeking to squash the defence motion since the claim is "without merit".

Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Buju-Banton-to-be-sentenced-June-16