DA Krasner: Sure, I’m Cool With Releasing Meek Mill
The progressive district attorney finally weighed in on Mill’s case, saying he is “unopposed” to letting the rapper out of prison on bail.
Meek Mill, left, and DA Larry Krasner. Photos by Matt Rourke/AP
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner has finally weighed in on Meek Mill’s prison sentence.
In a motion filed in Common Pleas court on Wednesday, Krasner said the DA’s office is “unopposed” to Mill’s release on bail. The office cited alleged false testimony at Mill’s 2007 trial by arresting officer Reginald Graham, an ex-cop whose name is included on a list of 29 officers considered tainted and unworthy of testimony by the DA’s office. Graham was the sole government witness at the trial after Mill’s arrest on gun charges.
Mill’s lawyer also referenced a statement from former officer Jeffrey Walker, who accused Graham of stealing money during unrelated drug arrests in 2005. (Though Walker’s credibility has been questioned as well.)
In the motion, the DA’s Office stated that the “Commonwealth is not in a position to accept or reject the allegations contained in these affidavits at this time,” and “there is a strong showing of likelihood of [Mill’s] conviction being reversed.”
Mill’s release is not up to Krasner, however. That decision rests in the hands of Common Pleas Judge Genece Brinkley, who sentenced Mill to 10 years of probation after his 2007 arrest, then an additional two to four years in prison in November 2017 after he repeatedly violated probation. Mill’s lawyers have since claimed Brinkley is not fit for the case, citing alleged personal and unprofessional involvement.
In a statement, Mill’s attorney Joe Tacopina said the rapper’s supporters “are very pleased with the District Attorney’s filing today stating that he is not opposing Meek’s immediate release on bail, and that there is a strong likelihood that Meek’s conviction will ultimately be reversed in whole or in part.”
“We look forward to his immediate release by the court on bail in light of this development,” Tacopina added.
Mill’s mother, Kathy Williams, joined celebrities and social justice advocates at a rally for Mill at the University of Pennsylvania on Tuesday, where she asked Krasner for help.
On Wednesday evening, Williams said she “would like to thank the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office for carefully evaluating my son’s matter and not opposing the request for bail.”
“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.”
