Meek Mill's Lawyer Claims Judge's Bias Led To Harsh Sentence

BYAron A.20.4K Views
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Rapper Meek Mill attends the Meek Mill debut of Dreamchasers x PUMA Collab at New Puma Lab powered by Foot Locker at Roosevelt Mall on July 15, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
His lawyer plans to appeal the sentence.

A few hours ago, unfortunate news broke out that Meek Mill's been sentenced to two to four years behind bars for violating probation. The sentence stemmed from two separate arrests this year. Despite the fact both cases were dropped, the judge still decided to put the rapper behind bars on the fact that he violated parole. However, the judge believes there may have been other factors that played into the sentencing.

Meek Mill's attorney, Joe Tacopina, claims the driving force behind his client's sentence is due to long-standing tension between the judge and Meek, in a TMZ report. They spoke to Tacopina who said the prosecutors didn't even recommend jail time for Meek. He says the judge and Meek Mill are from the same Philly area and have mutual friends and associates. 

Here's the strange part of the story. Tacopina said during a meeting in chambers last year, the judge proposed Meek Mill does a cover of Boyz II Men's "On Bended Knee" and during the re-make, he gives the judge a shout out. Meek allegedly laughed it off and thought it was a joke. Once she said she wasn't kidding, Meek pretty much shut down the idea to the judge. However, Tacopina told TMZ the judge said "Okay, suit yourself." Tacopina claims  the judge's person issues with Meek play a role behind the harsh sentence. The lawyer plans to appeal his sentencing due to what he believes is the judge's bias in the case.

Prior to the weekend, it was reported that Meek Mill may be facing jail time due to violating his probation. Earlier in the year, the rapper was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor assault after he was involved in a fight at a St. Louis airport. He later made a deal where the charges would be dropped if he performed community service. Along with that, he caught a reckless driving charge a few months back after popping wheelies in NYC. However, those charges would also be dropped if the rapper stayed arrest free for the following six months.


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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