Fresh Loaf

Fleming Daniels, a.k.a. Ill

In news that would never have seen the light of day had disgraced NFL star Adam “Pacman” Jones not been named in a lawsuit, it appears the former Dallas Cowboy had been covering the attorney fees for the Black Mafia Family’s third-in-command, Fleming “Ill” Daniels.

In fact, Pacman allegedly picked up the tab for legal representation in a whopping 18 cases involving his friends and family.

Daniels, who was a major player in BMF co-leader Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory’s $270 million cocaine ring, is under indictment in Fulton County for the 2004 shooting death of Rashannibal “Prince” Drummond, who was gunned down in the parking lot of Midtown’s now-defunct Velvet Room.

According to the AJC, the high-priced attorney who was representing Daniels on the murder charge, Manny Arora, is suing Pacman for failing to pay more than $10,000 in fees the lawyer had been promised in exchange for representing Pacman’s friends and family, including Daniels.

Documents filed in Fulton County Superior Court show that Arora removed himself from Daniels’ case last year and was replaced with a public defender.

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1. Annals of bizarro: Andisheh publicly questions Sunday Paper news editor (allegations of weirdness abound)

2. Jezebel: Four out of five “Real Housewives” are broke (oh, celebs — they’re just like us!)

3. Word: Travesty of death (Brian Nichols is spared the death penalty; Troy Davis continues to fight his death sentence)

4. BMF’s third-in-command sentenced (20 years for the Black Mafia Family’s Fleming “Ill” Daniels)

5. Southeastern Film Critics Association’s got Milk for best picture (critics group — which includes our very own Curt Holman — digs the Harvey Milk biopic)

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Fleming Daniels

Fleming “Ill” Daniels, a close associate of Black Mafia Family co-leader Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory, was sentenced in federal court today to 20 years in prison.

Daniels, one of 150 BMF associates indicted across the country, was convicted in June of conspiracy to distribute cocaine. He was one of the few defendants to go to trial; most of the rest pleaded guilty.

During the sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge Orinda Evans said that based on the evidence she heard, Meech and Daniels were close.

“They had connections in the music world and also the drug world,” she said. “He [Daniels] had a position of power and authority. He was Meech’s right-hand man.”

“Big Meech” Flenory, along with his brother Terry “Southwest T,” were sentenced in September to 30 years for running one of the country’s most prodigious cocaine empires. They’re estimated to have earned at least $270 million in cocaine sales.

Meech, who headed BMF’s Atlanta hub, also founded a record label and was tied to some of the South’s most celebrated rappers.

Daniels has been described as Meech’s third-in-command. He was a regular presence in Atlanta’s high-end nightclubs, where BMF members were known as legendary partiers.

In a separate case, Daniels was indicted earlier this year for the 2004 killing of Rashannibal “Prince” Drummond, who was gunned down in the parking lot of the now-defunct Velvet Room. That case has yet to be resolved.

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After a three-day trial that shed new light on the legendary excess of the Black Mafia Family, high-ranking BMF member Fleming “Ill” Daniels was convicted in Atlanta federal court today of one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine.

The jury, which deliberated for two days, could not reach a conclusion on Daniels’ second count, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. The jury announced its verdict at around 4 p.m.

The government’s case against Daniels relied heavily on a half-dozen witnesses who were indicted on BMF-related drug charges in other jurisdictions. The witnesses testified with the hope of receiving reduced sentences.

One of them, a lower-level BMF member named Ralph “Ralphie” Simms, implicated Atlanta rapper Jay “Young Jeezy” Jenkins in BMF’s $270 million cocaine ring. Jeezy has not been charged in the feds’ multi-state BMF investigation, which has netted nearly 150 defendants in seven states. Both the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta and Jeezy’s attorney in New York declined to comment on the allegation.

Daniels, who faces a minimum 20-year sentence on the federal conspiracy charge, is also under indictment in Fulton County Superior Court for the 2004 murder of Rashannibal “Prince” Drummond. Drummond was shot to death in the parking lot of Midtown’s now-defunct Velvet Room.

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For the first time, an alleged member of the multi-state cocaine crew the Black Mafia Family is on trial in Atlanta.

Fleming “Ill” Daniels has been described by witnesses in court papers as BMF’s third-in-command under the organization’s co-leader, Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory. Daniels is being tried on federal cocaine conspiracy charges in U.S. District Court. He also has been indicted in Fulton County for the 2004 murder of Rashannibal “Prince” Drummond in the parking lot of Midtown’s now-defunct Velvet Room. That case has not yet made it to trial.

During opening statements this morning, assistant U.S. Attorney Robert McBurney described Daniels’ alleged role in the BMF enterprise, which is believed to have trafficked $270 million in cocaine across the country from two main hubs. BMF’s Atlanta hub was headed by “Big Meech” Flenory. Its other hub, in L.A., was controlled by his estranged brother, Terry “Southwest T” Flenory. In November 2007, the Flenory brothers pleaded guilty to running a continuing criminal enterprise in a related indictment out of Detroit.

McBurney told the jury that the government’s case against Daniels would rely in part on co-defendants who pleaded guilty in exchange for a possibly lesser sentence. Eleven of Daniels’ 15 co-defendants pleaded guilty, most of them on Monday. The rest remain fugitives. Among the guilty pleas was the rapper Barima “Bleu DaVinci” McKnight, who did not agree to cooperate with the feds. (more…)

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