Buju Banton will be getting out of prison a little earlier than previously expected. U.S. authorities have reduced his prison sentence by a mere two months. While two months may not seems as much to us all, for Buju that is a big deal because that is two months earlier that he will get to be with his family. Banton, whose real name is Mark Myrie, is currently serving a 10-year sentence in the McRae correctional institution in Atlanta. He is expected to be released in February 2019. With this new development he could be out of prison as early as December 2018. Last year Buju Banton reached an agreement with the US Attorney Office in Florida where he waived all rights to future appeal in return for them dropping a gun charge. Banton was found guilty on three counts of drug trafficking charges in 2011. He was arrested at a warehouse in South Florida in December 2009 in a drug sting operation.
Buju Banton's case stalled as juror's computer yields no evidence of misconduct
Buju Banton could be released from prison as early as in a few days, weeks or even months.
The Grammy-winning reggae singer is currently serving a 10-year sentence for drug traffic in a Georgia prison. His release date is set for February 2019, but due to overcrowding in prisons across the United States, he could walk free after only serving half of his sentence.
Multiple reports confirmed that the U.S. Sentencing Commission reform effort is trying to ease over crowding and violence in prisons. As part of the reform process 6,000 non violent inmates will be released this month and thousands more will be released over a period of a few years.
If Buju Banton name make the list among the 6,000 he could be released sometime in November.
The reggae singer, whose real name is Mark Myrie, was convicted in 2011 on three counts of drug trafficking charges. He was given the minimum 10 years sentencing.
Buju Banton and his legal teams launched several failed appeals, but he has maintained his innocence.
Last month a juror in his trial was found in contempt of court.
Embattled Reggae/Dancehall icon, Mark Myrie, more popularly known as Buju Banton has suffered a big blow in his charge for an early release from prison after a thorough search of a juror's computer yielded no signs of misconduct during the singjay's February 2011 drug trial.
The Tampa Bay Times reports that an IT investigator, hired by Buju searched a computer owned by Terri Wright, a juror in the singer's trial who allegedly researched aspects of his case during the trial and subsequent deliberations. The search yielded approximately 1.6 million internet history records in total.
However, at a court hearing in Tampa earlier this week, it was revealed that none of the records found were dated Feb. 14 to March 8, 2011, covering his trial and the two weeks that followed, meaning no trace of misconduct had been detected.
These results let Buju's legal team to claim Wright gave them the wrong device to search. However, Ms. Wright's attorney, Lori Palmieri insisted it was her only computer.
"She only had one computer; it was a laptop, and she brought it,” she told Judge James Moody in court Tuesday. “In my opinion, end of story, but not in their story."
Judge Moody has yet to make a formal ruling on the matter.
Had any records pertaining to Buju's case had been found on her computer, grounds would have existed for a possible mistrial after a court order was issued during the early stages of the trial, prohibiting jurors from researching aspects of the case. Doing so also constitutes as a violation of federal court laws.
She had reportedly admitted to doing research of the case to a Florida newspaper last fall, which led to Buju's legal team filing an investigation application into the alleged misconduct. The application was approved, pushing back Buju's re-sentencing on the drug charge.
Buju Banton is currently serving a 10-year sentence on drug-related charges and faces an additional five years in prison on a gun charge which was reinstated last summer following a failed appeal of his conviction.
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