Meek Mill To Stay Locked Up In Prison As Judge Rejects Rapper's Bail Request
Meek Mill, born Robert Rihmeek Williams, will remain locked up in jail for the time being after Judge Genece Brinkley rejected his bid to be released on bail.
No Bail
Judge Brinkley ordered that Mill remain in prison in a decision made Monday in Philadelphia. She did not give any reason for her decision, but Mill's legal team argued that she bears a personal vendetta against the rapper. The rapper's attorney, Joe Tacopina, is saying that the judge's rejection of the bail simply reaffirms the fact that she holds a grudge against his client.
"In spite of the recommendations from the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, which was supported by Governor Tom Wolf, the judge continues to stand alone in supporting Officer Reginald Graham's perjured testimony as well as his criminal behavior that has been documented," Tacopina said in a statement sent to the New York Daily News.
"Fortunately, we have already filed petitions with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to secure his release, and we remain hopeful that the Court will right this injustice very soon," Tacopina added.
Personal Interest
Monday's decision also revealed that the judge refused to remove herself from the case after Mill's legal team requested that she recuse herself over her bias and her "unusual personal interest" on the rapper. Tacopina alleged that Judge Brinkley requested Mill to re-record the Boyz II Men song "On Bended Knee" as a "tribute to her." She allegedly also requested that the "All Eyes On You" singer switch management companies.
However, Judge Brinkley denied the allegations since they have no "basis in reality."
"There is zero evidence to support this claim. The court has repeatedly told Defendant that he cannot demand special treatment just because he has chosen to be an entertainer," Judge Brinkley wrote in response to Mill's request for bail.
Judge Brinkley's rejection comes after the District Attorney's office in Philadelphia allowed that Mill be released from jail on bail. Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf also supported the request for release.
Mill is serving jail time for violating his probation that stemmed from a conviction of drug and weapon possession in 2008. He previously served eight months for the said conviction. The judge sentenced him to two to four years in prison.
"[The] defendant received proper notice of all alleged probation violations in advance of his hearing. The sentence imposed was not manifestly excessive and this Court stated sufficient reasons on the record to support a state sentence of 2 to 4 years," Judge Brinkley wrote in court documents.
