Prosecutors want Suge Knight's bail set at $25M in murder case... as he's accused of extorting millions from rappers
Prosecutors
on Thursday requested that a judge set bail for Marion 'Suge' Knight at
$25 million in his murder case and say the former rap music mogul has
extorted millions from rappers in recent years.
The
motion filed by Deputy District Attorney Cynthia Barnes cites 31
incidents in which Knight is accused of threatening others or using
violence since 2004, including threats he made about the upcoming film
Straight Outta Compton.
The
motion also says Knight has been involved in money-laundering and
extortion schemes targeting up-and-coming as well as established rappers
in recent years.
Setting bail: Marion 'Suge' Knight appears
with his attorney Matthew Fletcher, in court March 9, prosecutors
currently want his bond set at $25 million
Knight
and an associate have been involved in an extortion scheme that has
netted more than $10 million, an affidavit filed by a sheriff's
detective says. 'Apparently when a new artist or rapper comes to either
Los Angeles or Las Vegas, he is required to pay a 'tax' to defendant
Knight,' Barnes' motion states.
The
Death Row Records co-founder is scheduled to appear in a Los Angeles
courtroom on Friday morning for a hearing regarding his bail.
He
is being held without bail on murder, attempted murder and hit-and-run
charges filed after he struck striking two men, killing one of them,
with his truck during a fight in a Compton, California, parking lot in
late January.
History: The motion also says Knight
has been involved in money-laundering and extortion schemes targeting
up-and-coming as well as established rappers in recent years
Knight, 49, has pleaded not guilty.
A phone message for Knight's attorney, Matthew Fletcher, was not immediately returned.
If Knight attempts to post bail, Barnes has requested that he prove the money has not come from illegal activities.
If
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ronald Coen grants Knight bail, he
would either have to post the entire amount in cash or pay a bond
company eight percent of the bail amount and they would put up the whole
amount, Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Lou Shapiro said.
Big money: Knight and an associate
have been involved in an extortion scheme that has netted more than $10
million, an affidavit filed by a sheriff's detective says
The bond company would keep Knight's money - $2 million if Knight's bail is set at $25 million - as its fee, Shapiro said.
Among
the allegations of threats included in the motion is a summary of a
heavily-redacted police report taken last year from someone who claims
Knight threatened them over 'Straight Outta Compton,' a film about the
rise of the gangster rap group NWA.
'Knight
was angry that he was not compensated for his likeness in the movie,'
Barnes' motion states. It adds that Knight warned the unidentified
victim that he was prepared to attack over the film and would target
former NWA members Dr. Dre and Ice Cube.
To be seen: The Death Row Records
co-founder is scheduled to appear in a Los Angeles courtroom on Friday
morning for a hearing regarding his bail
Knight's
1994 conviction on a federal firearms charge and a 1995 conviction on
two counts of assault with a firearm that led to a lengthy prison
sentence are also cited in the motion to support.
'Since
his release from prison custody, defendant Knight has continued his
repugnant life of crime,' the motion states before listing alleged
crimes that include battery, criminal threats, extortion and assault.
According
to an affidavit from a sheriff's investigator, Knight is part of an
extortion scheme of rappers and professional athletes that is jointly
run by the Crips and Bloods street gangs. Knight is a member of the
Bloods gang, according to the affidavit signed by Sheriff's Sgt. Richard
Biddle.
The
manager of an unidentified 'well-known' rapper told detectives that
Knight and a Crips gang leader wanted $30,000 from the performer every
time he came to Los Angeles, Biddle wrote.
Biddle
stated detectives began looking into the extortion scheme after Knight
was shot six times last year at a West Hollywood, California, nightclub
on the weekend of the MTV Video Music Awards.
Knight
has complained that he is suffering from complications from his wounds,
and he told a judge at a hearing earlier this month that he is blind in
one eye and has limited vision in his other eye.
He
has been taken by ambulance from a courthouse three times since he was
charged with murder. Knight is charged with killing Terry Carter, 55,
while fleeing a fight with another man in the parking lot of a Compton,
California, burger stand.
Prosecutors want Suge Knight's bail set at $25M in murder case... as he's accused of extorting millions from rappers
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