Buju has arrived home in Jamaica

GRAMMY award-winning Jamaican artiste Buju Banton arrived in the island last night after being released from McRae Correctional Facility in Georgia, United States, yesterday.

The deejay, who served eight years in prison on drug charges, looked well as he smiled and waved to airport staff who screamed and shouted his name as he walked through the general aviation (private) section of the airport avoiding a large crowd that had gathered at the main arrival area.

Wearing a white tam and white shirt covered by a white sweater, his beard had patches of grey.

Later in the night he was seen driving going to see his father. He seemed to be in good spirits, smiling and stopping to talk to fans.

Welcome home Buju!

Buju Banton Moves To Circumvent ICE Detention Ahead Of Prison Release

Buju Banton is moving to circumvent any ICE detention that might come his way.

Buju Banton, real name Mark Myrie, has just over a month to serve before he is released from federal prison, on December 8, 2018. The reggae/dancehall legend is eager to return to his family and fans in Jamaica, so he has hired a team of high powered attorneys to oversee his release from prison and pending deportation back to Jamaica. Urban Islandz previously reported that Buju is planning to embark on an extensive tour called “Long Walk To Freedom Tour” which will comprise of shows in the wider Caribbean, Africa, and Europe.

But before he embarks on his upcoming tour, Banton will be performing in Jamaica for his first post-prison concert. The Grammy-winning singer’s publicist, Ronnie Tomlinson, confirmed that his legal team is now working to ensure that his transition from prison to Jamaica is as smooth as possible. Upon his release from the McRae Correctional Institute located in Georgia on December 8, Buju Banton will be placed in the custody of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The singer wants that time to be as little as possible.

We’re told that sometimes ICE processed inmates in a day and sometimes it could take months. Buju Banton has no interest in fighting his immigration status in the United States which will make it easier for him to be sent to Jamaica immediately after completing his sentence. This also means that he will not be able to travel and work in the United States possibly for an extended period.

“Buju has made sure that his stay with ICE will be as short as possible,” Tomlinson said. “He has opted for voluntary deportation. He should be home in very short order after his sentence ends.”
Sources told Urban Islandz that Buju Banton would likely be home in Jamaica within days of his release from prison.

Source: https://urbanislandz.com/2018/10/27/buju-banton-circumvent-ice-detention-prison/

Jamaica the first stop on Buju Banton's 'Freedom' tour

Incarcerated reggae superstar Buju Banton will reportedly be embarking on a major world tour in 2019.


The reggae legend’s team announced via social media that he would embark on a tour dubbed “Long Walk To Freedom”.


“The anticipation continues to build, looking forward to seeing you all soon. Stay Tuned!” the post read.


Donovan Germain, the artiste's close friend and former manager, said that Buju Banton's first performance will be in Jamaica.


"I cannot give any details at this time, but I can confirm that his first show will be in Jamaica," Germain told Loop Jamaica reporter Claude Mills.


Dates will be announced in the coming weeks and there will be special guests performing with the singer. Loop News understands that the first show in Jamaica is tentatively scheduled for March 23, 2019.


The “Long Walk To Freedom” tour will be Buju Banton’s first major trek after his release from prison on December 8. He has a show already booked for Trinidad and Tobago in the spring of next year. There is also a show set for March 30th at the Nassau National Stadium in the Bahamas.


Buju Banton, whose real name is Mark Myrie, is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence for drug trafficking. He will return to Jamaica after his release.


He is a major reggae star, winning a Grammy award in 2011 for his album 'Before the Dawn'. He was previously nominated in the Best Reggae Album category in 2004, and 2010 for his albums Friends for Life and Rasta Got Soul.



Source: http://www.loopjamaica.com/content/jamaica-first-stop-buju-bantons-freedom-tour

Which Song Will Buju Start His Next Jamaican Performance With? (Pt 1)

Photo: Riina Asamoa

Early last month The STAR, referring to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) website, reported that Mark 'Buju Banton' Myrie now has a release date of December 8, 2018. It is anyone's guess when and where his first post-release performance in Jamaica will be. However, as the universe has aligned it, Rebel Salute 2019 will be held a little over a month after Buju's current release date and it will be a significant landmark at that - its 25th anniversary.His 2005 Rebel Salute showing, when he came on after Jimmy Cliff, was memorable.

Just saying.

So I wonder what Buju's first song on a stage in Jamaica after his release will be. Which tune from his catalogue could he open up with before the hordes of people who are sure to turn up to see and hear the Gargamel? The possibilities are juicy; and what they say about his attitude towards incarceration and current state of mind intriguing. Here are a few.

1. 'Til Shiloh'

The brief title track of his 1995 album, performing this first would reaffirm Buju's Rastafarian steadfast faith through his trial (literally) and travail of incarceration. Naturally, it would run into another song and the sound system selectors tend to follow up with, Hills and Valleys, which, with the lines "only Rasta can liberate the people and why try to make I unhappy/Really I don't know/If it was up to them my friend/We would never see the sun or the snow", would suit the occasion well.

2. 'Our Father In Zion'

Another short one, this is from the 1997 Inna Heights album, which followed Til Shiloh. Its content would say almost the same thing as, Til Shiloh, but would strike a stronger note with those grounded in the Christian faith. There is something which moves in the soul when a mass of people sing "hallowed be they name" and I can almost hear it now.

3. '23rd Psalm'

A track from his 2000 Unchained Spirit album, Buju and Gramps Morgan's voices blend beautifully on this take on what is known as, The Lord's Prayer. As an opening song, it would be an extended version and have a sustained effect of beginning with, Our Father in Zion, but maybe not as intense as that "hallowed" section.

4. 'Close One Yesterday'

Another track from Inna Heights, opening with this would be a statement of having been saved by faith ("I had a close one yesterday/Jah put an angel over me") and also personal fortitude ("Be strong, hold a firm meditation/One day things must get better/Don't go down, keep your head above the water").

5. 'Destiny'

Another one from Inna Heights to close out this week's possibilities. This would be a statement that from this point onwards, no guy will have a say in what he does - Buju will not put his life under the control of anyone, law enforcement included.

Next week, we will look at a few more opening options, among them Give I Strength, Me An Ooonu, Boom Bye Bye, Ova Me, Magic City, Driver and Circumstances. 

Source: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/entertainment/20170302/which-song-will-buju-start-his-next-jamaican-performance-pt-1

Buju Banton: Teenage Sensation to Convicted Warrior (Onstage TV 45min documentary)

Onstage TV is a Jamaican entertainment news and current affairs channel based in Kingston covering the spectrum of Jamaican/Caribbean happenings worldwide. Its where in-dept stories that delve into the lifestyles, successes and failures of Reggae/Dancehall celebrities are told.

Here is their story on Buju Banton. Published May 20, 2015



See also:  http://bujutrial.blogspot.fi/2012/02/buju-banton-is-innocent-full-story.html

Buju to serve full sentence - pressured into an agreement

Rosemary Duncan, coordinator of the three-member Buju Banton Defense Support Committee, says the incarcerated reggae artiste was "pressured into an agreement" to drop any further appeals.

Buju Banton (given name Mark Myrie) is currently serving a mandatory 10-year sentence in a Georgia correctional facility on cocaine charges.

Last Thursday, the reggae singer said he would be halting any further appeals, while the US Attorney Office announced it would be dismissing firearms charge against the singer.

"The court had thrown out the gun charge twice. However, the prosecution still had the option of pursuing a new trial ... and if convicted, he would get an additional five years," the St Lucian-born, US-based Duncan told the Jamaica Observer.

Buju Banton -- who was arrested in 2009 -- was convicted in February 2011. He is scheduled to be deported to Jamaica in 2019.

The support committee coordinator said the decision to discontinue the appeals came from the artiste himself.

"It was his own decision, based on his own analysis. He realised that every time there is hope, the court would say something else. He said he's done 5 1/2 years and could do 3 1/2 years more. It had nothing [to do] with legal cost, as he always paid his lawyers," she explained.

The entertainer's legal team comprises Harvard professor Charles Ogletree and Max Stern.

In January, Ogletree told the Observer he would be pulling out all the stops to free his client.

"We will be fighting for Buju Banton's freedom. We will present our arguments for a reversal of his conviction to the entire court in an en banc hearing later this spring," he said.

Duncan, who said the support group was formed in 2011 to champion Buju Banton's cause, said despite the decision, he remains positive.

"I spoke with him today. He's the same person, in terms of spirit. He's writing great music for his fans," she said.

Days after his 2011 conviction, Buju Banton won a Grammy Award for his album Before Dawn. His other albums include 'Til Shiloh (1995), Inna Heights (1997) and Unchained Spirit (2000).

See also:  http://bujutrial.blogspot.fi/2012/02/buju-banton-is-innocent-full-story.html

Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/-Buju-was-pressured-_18974265

Special Prosecutor Appointed to Investigate Rogue Juror in Buju Case

Ever since Buju Banton, one of Jamaica's most talented and controversial reggae singers, was convicted of cocaine trafficking and gun charges in 2011, there have been signs his trial was not on the up-and-up.

You may recall he was sentenced to ten years and lingers in federal lockup. That sentence was allowed to stand even though New Times first disclosed in 2012 that the jury forewoman, Terri Wright, had conducted outside research while the trial was ongoing. That's a violation of court procedures, so 19 months ago, a federal judge ordered the U.S. government to bring criminal contempt charges against Wright.

Virtually nothing happened. But now there's movement. A special prosecutor from outside the U.S. Department of Justice has been tasked with leading the case against the rogue juror and plans to meet with Banton's legal team, Wright, and the feds.

Though no one on the government end is talking much, the appointment of a special prosecutor in such a situation is significant. Such prosecutors are typically reserved for investigating government officials.

So is there a wider probe into potential misconduct that could move Banton a step closer to freedom?

"I hope," says defense attorney Charles Ogletree, who heads Harvard Law School's Institute for Race and Justice. He has been representing Banton (real name Mark Myrie) for the past year. "Here we have a wildcat juror, somebody who's going way beyond their authority and doing things that were completely inappropriate. This undermined the search for truth, which resulted, I think, in the conviction of [Banton]."

Wright's misdeeds extend far beyond doing internet research during the trial. She appears to have lied on several occasions, including during jury selection for Banton's trial, when she told the court she had served in only one previous trial. In reality she had served in seven.

Moreover, when the judge ordered Wright to turn over her computer for forensic analysis, Wright submitted a bogus hard drive. It was in the wake of this deception that the judge called for the contempt charges.

Lost in all of this mess is that Banton remains locked up. It has been six years since he was arrested. He has been through two trials -- the first ended in a hung jury and the second was corrupted by Wright. He has served more jail time than the men who were actually at the scene of the crime with stacks of cash and a gun trying to buy cocaine. (He was far away when the bust happened.)

The criminal informant who built the case against Buju had been deemed untrustworthy by a previous judge and had financial incentive to bend the truth in favor of the prosecution. One-third of the jurors have even admitted to New Times that they did not want to find the singer guilty on the gun charge, which carries a five-year sentence.

It's the jury forewoman's actions that most disturb Harvard's Ogletree, though. "What Terri Wright did is contrary to everything that anyone knows about jury trials," he says. "Jurors... take an oath, and they need to follow it."

Banton's case remains under review by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, where Ogletree recently presented an oral argument centering largely on all the unknowns surrounding Wright. Two weeks ago, the panel requested that all 11 judges of the court review the case. Another hearing is expected this spring.

"We have all the evidence going in our direction," Ogletree says. "We're ready."

See also: http://bujutrial.blogspot.fi/2012/02/buju-banton-is-innocent-full-story.html

Source: http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2015/02/buju_banton_case_special_prosecutor_appointed_to_investigate_rogue_juror.php

No New Trial For Buju

Grammy award-winning Jamaican reggae artiste Buju Banton has lost his appeal to have his conviction overturned to secure a new trial.

With this ruling, that was handed down in a Florida court earlier this week, Buju Banton, whose given name is Mark Myrie, will continue to serve his 10-year prison sentence.

He is currently serving a mandatory sentence for his conviction on a charge of conspiracy to distribute cocaine.

Buju is scheduled to be released in 2019, however he filed his own motion from prison asking to be released early under a recent change in federal drug sentencing guidelines.

He was convicted in February 2011, days after he won a Grammy award for his album, “Before the Dawn.”

Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/latestnews/No-new-trial-for-Buju

Buju Banton to courts: Release me, deport me to Jamaica

TAMPA — Grammy-winning reggae singer Buju Banton hopes recent changes in drug sentencing rules will get him out of prison early and back to his native Jamaica.

But the performer is likely out of luck.

Although more than 1,700 drug defendants sentenced in Tampa federal court have been identified as potential beneficiaries of a recent rollback in federal sentencing guidelines, the change won’t apply to most of those serving minimum mandatory sentences under the law.

Banton, whose legal name is Mark Myrie, is serving 10 years, the minimum mandatory sentence for his conviction on a charge of conspiracy to distribute cocaine.

The only ways to get around the minimum mandatory sentences would require defendants to cooperate with investigators or at least give a full confession to their crimes. Banton, who has steadfastly maintained his innocence, is unlikely to meet that requirement.

The Jamaican-born reggae star was convicted in February 2011, days after he won a Grammy award for his work titled “Before the Dawn.”

The singer was arrested in 2010 following a sting by the Drug Enforcement Administration at a Sarasota warehouse. Banton was targeted by investigators starting in July 2009 when, returning with his band from a European tour, he happened to sit next to an informant on a flight from Madrid to Miami. Authorities subsequently recorded numerous conversations in which the two men talked about drug trafficking.

Banton is serving his sentence in a prison run by Corrections Corporation of America in McRae, Georgia. He is scheduled for release in 2019. His case is on appeal.

In the meantime, he filed his own motion from prison asking to be released early under a recent change in federal drug sentencing guidelines, which the U.S. Sentencing Commission decided would be applied retroactively to inmates.

The federal probation office in the Middle District of Florida has identified 1,748 inmates originally sentenced in Tampa on drug charges as potentially eligible to benefit from the change, known as Drugs Minus 2, because it reduces sentencing guidelines for most drug offenses by two levels. If projections hold true, the average sentence of 11 years and 1 month will be reduced to nine years.

Those defendants will not be eligible for release until Nov. 1, 2015.

Chief Judge Anne C. Conway issued an order last month directing the probation office to identify inmates who may be eligible for early release under the change and to prepare reports in each case addressing the issues, including a proposed range for new sentences. Conway directed the Federal Public Defender’s Office to represent all inmates for this purpose unless there is a conflict of interest.

Probation officers are prioritising cases by their potential release dates, meaning those who are likely to be eligible for release first will be addressed first.

In the meantime, hundreds of inmates, like Banton, have tried to get their cases heard by filing their own motions with the court.

In his motion, Banton argues he should be sentenced to 92 months in prison under the new guidelines. He says he’s been “working in prison since his incarceration” and has “very good conduct’’ behind bars.

He asks that the court reduce his sentence and turn him over to immigration authorities so he can be deported back to Jamaica.

The U.S. Sentencing Commission, which implemented the change to the sentencing guidelines, says it cannot do anything about minimum mandatory sentences, which are spelled out in law. “Only Congress can change mandatory minimum penalties,” the commission says on its website.

Chief Probation Officer Joe Collins estimated 225 drug offenders sentenced in the Middle District of Florida may be eligible for release on Nov. 1, 2015. Of that group, 75 cases have been reviewed by probation officers, and 48 were originally sentenced in federal court in Tampa.

The former inmates all will have to serve a period of probation — known as supervised release — and Collins said his office is bracing for the increased workload, which he said will be 70 to 80 percent more than normal.

Attorneys with the public defender’s office say another retroactive change in how some sentences are calculated could shave significant time off the sentences of certain drug defendants sentenced in some jurisdictions, including the federal circuit that encompasses Florida.

Those defendants received credit for providing prosecutors with “substantial assistance,” or extensive cooperation. The Sentencing Commission ordered a change in how their sentences were calculated.

The public defender’s office hopes to file a motion in the case of one Tampa defendant, for example, who was convicted of possessing a small amount of drugs, according to federal defender attorney Conrad Kahn. But because he had two prior convictions for small drug amounts, he received a lengthy sentence, even though he was given credit for substantial assistance.

Kahn said the planned motion has the potential to reduce the defendant’s sentence by 17 or 18 years, allowing his immediate release after having served about seven years.

By Elaine Silvestrini | Tribune Staff
esilvestrini@tampatrib.com

Source: http://tbo.com/news/crime/buju-banton-to-courts-release-me-deport-me-to-jamaica-20141206/

Buju Banton could walk free this year says Attorney Charles Ogletree

Could Buju Banton hit the streets before the end of his ten year prison sentence?

LISTEN to audio of interview with Attorney Charles Ogletree: http://www.iriefm.net/news/music/buju-banton-could-walk-free-year-says-attorney

Well, the Gargamel’s attorney, Charles Ogletree tells W.T.S that the dancehall deejay could be out this year. Attorney Ogletree who expresses his happiness with the latest developments surrounding the case, says if the conviction is reversed, Buju could be out this year.

The US Appeals Court has granted the deejay’s request to present oral arguments regarding his efforts to obtain a new trial. However, no date has yet been set for the lawyers to appear before the Appeal Court.

Buju Banton is serving a 10-year sentence on drug-related charges after he was arrested at his South Florida home in December 2009 and charged with conspiracy to distribute five or more kilos of cocaine.

After two trials he was sentenced in a Tampa, Florida court.

Buju Banton has maintained his innocence and says he was entrapped by the United States government.

Source: http://www.iriefm.net/news/music/buju-banton-could-walk-free-year-says-attorney

Buju files another appeal

Incarcerated reggae star Buju Banton has filed yet another appeal in the United States to reverse his conviction on drug charges.

The appeal by attorneys Professor Charles Ogletree, Jack Cushman and Max Stern was filed with the 11th US Circuit Court on February 4.

Ogletree, who is the head of the law department at Harvard University, said he accepted the offer to represent Banton -- whose real name is Mark Myrie -- because it was clear that he did not receive a fair trial.

"There is no way in the world he received a fair trial," Ogletree told the Jamaica Observer yesterday.

After two trials, Banton was sentenced to 10 years in a Tampa, Florida, court for drug-related offences. However, information later emerged that jury foreman Teri Wright had defied an order from Judge Tim Moody and had studied aspects of the Pinkerton Law and Banton's music.

The Pinkerton Law was used by the prosecution to convict Banton for using a telephone to facilitate a drug-trafficking offence.

The information came to light after Wright admitted her misconduct to a reporter. Wright was then ordered by the court to hand over a computer she had used to study the law, but instead handed over another computer. A computer forensics expert hired by Banton later proved that the hard drive on the computer had not been used for a number of years.

According to Ogletree, although the appeal had been filed, it would take months before the case is heard by the appellate court's judges.

"It's hard to tell; we have called for a continuance and the government will call for a continuance. However, I hope to get it before the court before the end of 2014," he said.

As an inmate in the care of the state, the federal Bureau of Prison can house Banton in any penal facility of their choice and Ogletree said a move was afoot to remove him from the low-security FCI Miami prison to another location.

"We have filed in the court to get him to stay in Miami," he said.

He said despite his travails, Myrie has remained upbeat and is looking forward to his appeal being heard.

"He is very positive. I speak to him every other day. He read the brief and is happy with it. He is glad that the truth is being told about him," he said.

Buju Banton was arrested in December 2009 at his Tamarac, Florida, home and charged with conspiracy to distribute five or more kilogrammes of cocaine. His arrest followed a sting operation at a Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)-controlled warehouse in Tampa, which also resulted in the arrest of James Mack and Ian Thomas, who were attempting to purchase cocaine from undercover agents.

Banton has maintained his innocence and claimed he was entrapped by government informant Alexander Thomas, who hounded him for months to get involved in drug smuggling.

Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Buju-again-appeals-drug-conviction_16105414

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 gets another lifeline

REGGAE artiste Buju Banton was handed another lifeline yesterday after it was revealed that embattled juror Teri Wright had submitted the wrong computer hard drive for examination by a computer forensic expert hired by him to examine if she had studied aspects of the law involving his drug traffick-ing case during his second trial in February 2011.

Banton's attorney Kwame Lumumba told the Jamaica Observer yesterday that Wright had indicated to the court, during an earlier sitting, that she had used a laptop computer, but the expert had found that she in fact submitted the hard drive for an old desktop computer.

"Her attorney stated in court that she surrendered the hard drive of a laptop computer. She said she did research on the case three weeks after the trial. The expert found no evidence that she did any research at all on that hard drive and found that it was not the hard drive of a laptop but the hard drive of a desktop. We are of the firm opinion that she did not submit the hard drive for a laptop computer," Lumumba said.

Wright had reportedly told a reporter that she studied aspects of the Pinkerton Law which was used to convict Banton on a firearm charge.
He faces an additional five years after an Appeals Court threw out a motion to have his sentence overturned.

He also pointed to other inconsistencies in Wright's statements during jury selection for the trial.
"It was also revealed that she had served on seven juries, but she said she only served on one jury in a civil matter. She is a seasoned juror. If his lawyer (who was then David Markus) had known that, she would have been rejected. She changed the syntax of her statement because at first she said she served on juries then changed and said jury. It was very misleading," said the lawyer.
The revelation has prompted Lumumba to file a motion asking US Judge James Moody to make a ruling that Wright had violated his orders.

If the court rules in favour of Banton, it would open the way for a new trial for the entertainer who is serving a 10-year sentence after being found guilty of drug-related charges. He is currently languishing in the Pinellas County Jail in Tampa, Florida until the matter is sorted out by the US Sam Gibbons Court in the same city.

"A new trial, that is what we are asking for," said Banton's lawyer.

Lumumba said the ruling could be handed down in two weeks as his client has been incarcerated and was uncertain of his future.

Banton, whose real name is Mark Myrie, would then undergo a third trial to prove his innocence and if he is successful he could seek damages for wrongful imprisonment and loss of earnings. He could also argue that his right to travel to the United States and work, which has been taken away by the US authorities, be reinstated.

"If we are successful it does raise certain questions if he will pursue a civil suit," he said.

The Jamaican entertainer was arrested at his Tamarac, South Florida home in December 2009 after US Drug Enforcement Agents arrested two men — James Mack and Ian Thomas — in a government-controlled warehouse in Tampa as they attempted to purchase a large quantity of cocaine from undercover police.

Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Buju-gets-another-lifeline_13999170#ixzz2PawanxI2

Buju 'crushed' by appeal decision, may seek new trial

A somber mood persists within the camp of incarcerated Dancehall/Reggae megastar, Buju Banton a day after an appeal on behalf of the Grammy-winning entertainer was dismissed.

On Thursday, the United States Court of Appeal for the 11th Circuit upheld Buju Banton's conviction on drug charges in February of last year and subsequent 10 year sentence regarding said charges last June. In its ruling, the Atlanta-based Circuit Court agreed with the jury's decision to convict Buju Banton of three charges, including conspiracy to distribute cocaine and aiding and abetting a person's use of a telephone to facilitate a drug crime.

As a result, Buju's camp was left in shock and according to the artiste's lead attorney, David Oscar Markus, the Untold Stories singer is heartbroken by the decision.

“I called him (Buju) and told him about the decision. He, like me, was heartbroken. He couldn’t believe it,” Markus told the Jamaica Observer.

"He believes that we were right and would win."

Markus now calls upon Buju's legions of fans worldwide to support the highly regarded Reggae superstar in this most difficult of times.

“He’s been strong for a long while, but this is a big blow for him,” he said.

The game plan for Buju Banton and his legal team could consist of an application for a new trial, which would be the artiste's third since his initial arrest in December 2009.

“I truly believe that a good man is in jail for talking a big game. I will continue to fight for him,” Markus said.

During yesterday's proceedings, the Circuit Court rejected Buju's arguments that the government had violated a constitutional right, the Speedy Trial Act as well as claims that he had been improperly entrapped by U.S. government informant, Alex Johnson. Additionally, they did not consider Buju's application for a new trial; a matter they insisted should be deal with in District Court.

Meanwhile, The panel of three judges at yesterday's hearing agreed with the jury's conviction of the entertainer on a gun possession charge; a charge that was initially thrown out by the trial judge.

Source: http://www.examiner.com/article/buju-crushed-by-appeal-decision-may-seek-new-trial

Buju's reply brief to the US government- FULL

Myrie Final Reply Brief Filed

Singer Buju Banton questions US evidence in appeal

MIAMI — Grammy-winning reggae star Buju Banton says the U.S. government is misrepresenting the facts in his case.

Banton, whose real name is Mark Myrie, is appealing his 2011 conviction on cocaine conspiracy and trafficking charges. In court documents filed last month in Atlanta's federal appeals court, federal prosecutors said the evidence, including audio and video recordings of Banton's words and actions, revealed that the singer "eagerly brokered" a drug deal between a friend and undercover government agents.

In a reply filed Friday, defense attorney David O. Markus says the government's response omitted critical details from those recordings and from testimony during Banton's trial by a federal informant and other witnesses.

Markus says the informant relentlessly pursued Banton, resulting in improper entrapment.

Banton is serving a 10-year prison sentence.

Source: http://www.bradenton.com/2012/03/10/3930348/singer-buju-banton-questions-us.html#storylink=cpy