One Baltimore drug dealer named Richard Byrd claims that he did business with top musicians such as Drake, Kanye West, and Diddy to launder money. If this claim is anything to go by then, these rappers are in deep sh*t. Richard Byrd says that he partied with top stars while at it with his cross-country marijuana distribution and money laundering operations.
Here is Byrd singing in court via Yahoo.
When Richard Byrd wasn’t directing a cross-country marijuana distribution operation, he says he was partying with some of the biggest names in sports and hip hop.
Byrd testified in court that his nightclub concerts and branded events were headlined or attended by celebrities such as Chris Brown, Drake, Kevin Durant, Jamie Foxx, LeBron James, Jeezy, Nelly, Shaquille O’Neal, 2Chainz, and Dwayne Wade. Byrd testified that for years, he owned rights to hold events with rapper and mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, holding “more than 500″ such events with the artist.
For a time, he said he also worked with Kanye West.
“Once he became a megastar, he [West] became very difficult to work with,” Byrd, 48, testified Friday in U.S. District Court.
Byrd is the key witness in the trial of attorney Kenneth Ravenell, who is charged with aiding Byrd’s marijuana trafficking operation. Federal prosecutors say that Ravenell was intricately involved in Byrd’s criminal organization and laundering money, but the defense spent cross-examination trying to build up Byrd’s legitimate business efforts.
Millions of dollars flowed through his company, Loc Marketing. But Byrd maintained that despite its success, the company was a front for the drug operation, and that Ravenell was part of the braintrust that worked to avoid detection and keep the money coming in.
Nothing like getting name-dropped in a money laundering case. I am sure this is the last thing they wanted to hear when they woke up in the AM.
It should be noted none of the people he mentioned are being accused of a crime.
Flip the page for the video of the testimony.