Entertainment

Prosecutors unopposed to release of rapper Meek Mill

15 of March 2018

FILE - In this Nov. 6, 2017 file photo, rapper Meek Mill arrives at the criminal justice center in Philadelphia. The mother of jailed rapper Meek Mill is calling on Philadelphia's district attorney to "step in" and help her son. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports the plea by Kathy Williams came during a brief news conference Tuesday before the start of a criminal justice panel at the University of Pennsylvania. Williams strongly criticized the judge who sentenced Mill to two to four years in prison last fall for violating probation on a roughly decade-old gun and drug case. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File),FILE - In this Nov. 6, 2017 file photo, rapper Meek Mill arrives at the criminal justice center in Philadelphia. The mother of jailed rapper Meek Mill is calling on Philadelphia's district attorney to "step in" and help her son. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports the plea by Kathy Williams came during a brief news conference Tuesday before the start of a criminal justice panel at the University of Pennsylvania. Williams strongly criticized the judge who sentenced Mill to two to four years in prison last fall for violating probation on a roughly decade-old gun and drug case. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Prosecutors in Philadelphia say they aren't opposed to the release of Meek Mill while he appeals a probation violation sentence, citing concerns about whether his conviction will ultimately be upheld. Mill was sentenced in November to two to four years in prison for violating probation on a roughly decade-old gun and drug case. The decision was hailed by Mill's attorney and his mother, who a day earlier had asked the district attorney to weigh in.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Prosecutors in Philadelphia are not opposed to the release of rapper Meek Mill while he appeals a probation violation sentence, they said on Wednesday, citing concerns about whether his conviction will ultimately be upheld.

Mill, whose real name is Robert Rihmeek Williams, was sentenced in November to two to four years in prison for violating probation on a roughly decade-old gun and drug case.

Prosecutors have confirmed that the arresting officer was among those prosecutors from the previous administration tried to keep off the witness stand because of credibility questions. They cited accusations against him by other officers in saying there was “a strong showing of likelihood” of the conviction “being reversed (in whole or in part).”

The district attorney’s office said its policy was not to request more than six to 12 months for technical violations of probation and parole, and it was unlikely that the appeal could be decided within six months.

Mill has spent more than two years in custody or on house arrest, and if the conviction is reversed there is a risk of an unjust or disproportionate sentence having been served and “that risk increases as long as (Mill) remains in custody,” the office said.

Judge Genece Brinkley, who will decide whether Mill is freed, has been the subject of harsh criticism from Mill’s attorneys, who have asked her to recuse herself from the case. The judge has hired an attorney who accuses Mill’s legal team of making baseless claims to the media about the judge’s personal and professional conduct.

Defense attorney Joe Tacopina hailed the prosecutor’s decision and said in a statement, “We look forward to his immediate release by the court on bail in light of this development.”

Mill’s mother, Kathy Williams, who a day earlier had called on the district attorney to weigh in on the case, expressed gratitude for the action.

“The fact that Robert’s entire conviction could be overturned is a blessing and I pray that God gives Judge Brinkley the wisdom to make the right decision and allow my son to return home to his family,” she said. “I truly believe justice will prevail.”