This man was set up, I really and truly believe, for his lyrics that bashed the gay communities across the world, he is a good man! that got mixed up in some SHIT, please put Buju in your prayers in these times.
Buju Banton awaiting transfer
2011-06-23 18:08:04
Buju Banton- file photoJamaican reggae superstar, Buju Banton, is in a US county jail at this hour awaiting transfer to the Miami Federal Prison to serve his 10-year sentence.
Buju whose real name is Mark Myrie was sentenced this morning on cocaine charges in the Florida District Court in the United States.
He was facing a minimum of 15 years in prison to a maximum of life.
But his sentence was cut to 10 years after the presiding judge threw out the firearm arm conviction that was handed down in February this year.
In February, Buju Banton was found guilty of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense and using a telephone to facilitate a drug trafficking offense.
But today presiding judge James Moody threw out a gun charge, lowering Banton's sentence from 15 years to 10.
But having been arrested since 2009 and because he has been well-behaved Buju will only serve six years in prison.
Banton's attorney, David Markus, had submitted that federal sentencing guidelines call for a prison term of at least 15 years.
But in a court filing, David Markus told Judge Moody that a 15-year sentence would be way more than necessary in Bujuâ€s case.
He contended that Banton deserved a lower sentence because of his limited participation in the drug case, his charitable work in Jamaica and his otherwise clean record.
Dozens of letters to U.S. District Judge James Moody were included in the court file for the 37-year-old recording artiste, whose given name is Mark Myrie.
Several of his 15 children a former Jamaican government official, an NBA player, other reggae artistes and actor Danny Glover had begged for leniency calling Buju a role model, philanthropist and spiritual leader in the community.
Banton's oldest son, also named Mark Myrie, wrote that his father puts hard work, sweat and tears into his music and that the situation is just an example of our mere imperfections as people, being at the wrong place at the wrong time.
But at the trial, assistant U.S. Attorney James Preston argued that Banton portrayed himself as a broker of drug deals in several conversations with a confidential informant.