We were not in Florida this morning for the sentencing of Buju Banton, so have re-printed the article below from William R. Levesque. Buju faced a possible 15 years in prison, however Judge James Moody sentenced him to 10 years for which we the community are thankful. Our letter writing and campaigning did make a difference...
By William R. Levesque, Times Staff Writer
TAMPA — Lawyers for Buju Banton did everything they could to remind jurors and a judge that their client was an international reggae star and not a drug kingpin.
They displayed his album covers during Banton's February drug conspiracy trial. They called Bob Marley's son as a witness and told jurors Banton won a Grammy the day before his trial opened.
Lawyers even included a color photo of Banton performing on the first page of a sentencing memorandum seeking leniency that they filed with the court.
But it was convicted drug defendant Buju Banton that a federal judge sentenced to 10 years in prison today after his February conviction on drug conspiracy charges. Banton, who lived in South Florida, had faced 15 years to life in prison.
Ten years was the minimum sentence.
Dozens of letters were sent to the judge in support of Banton. Letters included one from actor Danny Glover, a friend of Banton's. Glover said Banton's music "addresses every aspect of life and feeds the heart, mind, body and soul, bringing a message of hope." Stephen Marley, son of reggae legend Bob Marley, wrote, "Please consider the great things that he has done during his career as a musician." NBA player Etan Thomas said, "His songs have guided and inspired me since I was in Middle School."
But in the end, it may have been the words of prosecutor James Preston, spoken to jurors at trial, that provided the epitaph on Banton's career.
"This is not about Buju Banton, the reggae singer," Preston said. "This is about Mark Myrie, the drug defendant." Jurors deliberated for 11 hours when on Feb. 22 they found Banton, whose given name is Mark Myrie, guilty of three charges: conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine; possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking; and using a telephone to commit a drug offense.
This was Banton's second trial. A jury deadlocked at the first in September 2010, causing a mistrial. The singer's retrial opened Feb. 14, a day after he won a Grammy for best reggae album. Banton recorded the album, Before the Dawn, prior to his December 2009 arrest, though he worked on post-production from a jail phone.
Banton's troubles began on a flight from Spain to the United States in 2009. Banton had the ill fortune to sit next to a confidential informant who has earned $3.3 million in the last 14 years working for federal agents.
Prosecutors said Banton, a Miami-area resident, boasted to the snitch that he was involved in a cocaine ring. They said he talked about wanting to set up a drug deal together. They presented audio tapes and videos of Banton they say proved his culpability in setting up the purchase of 11 pounds of cocaine for $135,000.
In one video, Banton could be seen tasting cocaine at a Sarasota warehouse on Dec. 8, 2009. But days later, he was not present as the deal was finalized, though prosecutors said he knew it was going down. Banton testified that he was just a boastful talker trying to impress the informant because the man said he could help Banton's music career. He said he never intended to buy the drugs and had ignored the informant's persistent calls.
TAMPA — Lawyers for Buju Banton did everything they could to remind jurors and a judge that their client was an international reggae star and not a drug kingpin.
They displayed his album covers during Banton's February drug conspiracy trial. They called Bob Marley's son as a witness and told jurors Banton won a Grammy the day before his trial opened.
Lawyers even included a color photo of Banton performing on the first page of a sentencing memorandum seeking leniency that they filed with the court.
But it was convicted drug defendant Buju Banton that a federal judge sentenced to 10 years in prison today after his February conviction on drug conspiracy charges. Banton, who lived in South Florida, had faced 15 years to life in prison.
Ten years was the minimum sentence.
Dozens of letters were sent to the judge in support of Banton. Letters included one from actor Danny Glover, a friend of Banton's. Glover said Banton's music "addresses every aspect of life and feeds the heart, mind, body and soul, bringing a message of hope." Stephen Marley, son of reggae legend Bob Marley, wrote, "Please consider the great things that he has done during his career as a musician." NBA player Etan Thomas said, "His songs have guided and inspired me since I was in Middle School."
But in the end, it may have been the words of prosecutor James Preston, spoken to jurors at trial, that provided the epitaph on Banton's career.
"This is not about Buju Banton, the reggae singer," Preston said. "This is about Mark Myrie, the drug defendant." Jurors deliberated for 11 hours when on Feb. 22 they found Banton, whose given name is Mark Myrie, guilty of three charges: conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine; possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking; and using a telephone to commit a drug offense.
This was Banton's second trial. A jury deadlocked at the first in September 2010, causing a mistrial. The singer's retrial opened Feb. 14, a day after he won a Grammy for best reggae album. Banton recorded the album, Before the Dawn, prior to his December 2009 arrest, though he worked on post-production from a jail phone.
Banton's troubles began on a flight from Spain to the United States in 2009. Banton had the ill fortune to sit next to a confidential informant who has earned $3.3 million in the last 14 years working for federal agents.
Prosecutors said Banton, a Miami-area resident, boasted to the snitch that he was involved in a cocaine ring. They said he talked about wanting to set up a drug deal together. They presented audio tapes and videos of Banton they say proved his culpability in setting up the purchase of 11 pounds of cocaine for $135,000.
In one video, Banton could be seen tasting cocaine at a Sarasota warehouse on Dec. 8, 2009. But days later, he was not present as the deal was finalized, though prosecutors said he knew it was going down. Banton testified that he was just a boastful talker trying to impress the informant because the man said he could help Banton's music career. He said he never intended to buy the drugs and had ignored the informant's persistent calls.
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