Advertisement

Judge denies Meek Mill's bail request

By Wade Sheridan
Meek Mill (L), pictured with Nicki Minaj, was denied bail by a judge who said the rapper poses a "danger to the community." File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
1 of 2 | Meek Mill (L), pictured with Nicki Minaj, was denied bail by a judge who said the rapper poses a "danger to the community." File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Dec. 4 (UPI) -- Common Pleas Court Judge Genece Brinkley has denied rapper Meek Mill's motion for bail after his emergency bail motion was denied by Pennsylvania Superior Court in November.

Brinkley's decision comes after the Superior Court ordered the judge to rule on the bail petition Mill's lawyers filed weeks ago and to explain her reasoning "without further delay."

Advertisement

Brinkley referred to Mill, real name Robert Williams, as a "flight risk" and a "danger to the community" in court documents obtained by TMZ.

Mill was sentenced to two to four years in prison for violating his probation in November. The 30-year-old was on probation for a 2008 gun charge for which he already served two years in prison. He was arrested two times this year on misdemeanor charges, which were later dropped.

"We are very disappointed with Judge Brinkley's decision to deny Mr. Williams bail, which continues her long pattern of unfair treatment of him," one of Mill's attorney's Joe Tacopina said to Philly.com. "As stated on multiple occasions, he has never missed a previous court date in this case and poses absolutely no threat to the community, which makes him an ideal candidate for bail -- a conclusion [prosecutors] did not oppose."

Advertisement

Tacopina said that he and Mill's legal team will be appealing Brinkley's decision.

Mill has received support from fans and celebrities who have found his sentencing to be unfair including Rev. Al Sharpton who had previously visited the music star.

Jay-Z also defended Mill in an editorial he wrote for The New York Times.

"What's happening to Meek Mill is just one example of how our criminal justice system entraps and harasses hundreds of thousands of black people every day," Jay-Z said. "On the surface, this may look like the story of yet another criminal rapper who didn't smarten up and is back where he started. But consider this: Meek was around 19 when he was convicted on charges relating to drug and gun possession, and he served an eight-month sentence. Now he's 30, so he has been on probation for basically his entire adult life. For about a decade, he's been stalked by a system that considers the slightest infraction a justification for locking him back inside."

Latest Headlines