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Tuesday, December 9th, 2008
Rapper, Diddy’s cousin sentenced in BMF sting
Friday, November 7th, 2008
“Big Meech” Flenory (right) was like a big brother to Barima “Bleu DaVinci” McKnight.
NOTE: This post is a slightly longer version of a story that appeared in this week’s print edition of Creative Loafing.
The Black Mafia Family continued to unravel last week when a parade of the cocaine ring’s affiliates was sentenced in federal court in Atlanta. Among them were two defendants with strong ties to the hip-hop industry.
What’s more, all but one of the 10 defendants to plead guilty — Deron “D-Shock” “D-Shot” Hall — agreed to share information with the government, further shattering the once ironclad code of silence that blanketed the $270 million drug enterprise. Of the six additional defendants named in the Atlanta indictment [PDF], four are still scheduled for trial, one was convicted at trial and one remains a fugitive.
Darryl “Poppa” Taylor, the first cousin of New York-based music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, received a three-year sentence reduction for his substantial assistance in the government’s investigation into BMF, which was headed by brothers Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory and Terry “Southwest T” Flenory. The Flenorys each received 30-year sentences in a separate case in Detroit.
In a court proceeding last year, Taylor said he was introduced to Terry Flenory by Combs’ chief of security, Paul Buford. Buford was indicted along with the Flenory brothers in 2005, but his case has not been resolved. Combs, who’s been described in court documents as a friend of the Flenorys, hasn’t been accused of any unlawful behavior related to BMF.
Taylor’s attorney, Steve Sadow, told the judge last week that Taylor — in addition to info he shared about Terry Flenory — might be able to offer the government insight into “activities going on in the Northeast.”
Had Taylor not cooperated in the investigation, he would have received a minimum of 10 years in federal prison, where there is no parole. Instead, he got just over seven years.
Barima “Bleu DaVinci” McKnight, the rapper who became the face of the Black Mafia Family’s now defunct record label, was sentenced to five years and four months. The sentence was eight months less than the government’s recommendation, due in part to him agreeing to share information with the feds — although he wasn’t willing to testify against other defendants.
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ cousin sentenced for his role in BMF
Wednesday, October 29th, 2008Darryl “Poppa” Taylor was sentenced this morning in federal court to seven years in prison for his role as a cocaine courier for the Atlanta and L.A.-based Black Mafia Family.
Taylor, one of 10 co-defendants scheduled to be sentenced in Northern Georgia U.S. District Court today, received a sentence reduction for his substantial assistance in the government’s investigation into BMF, a $270 million cocaine enterprise that was headed by the brothers Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory and Terry “Southwest T” Flenory. The Flenory brothers were charged in a separate indictment in Detroit and were sentenced last month to 30 years in federal prison.
Taylor, who moved to Atlanta from New York, is the first cousin of New York-based music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, who’s been described in court documents as a friend of the Flenorys. Combs has not been accused of any unlawful behavior related to BMF.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert McBurney said during the hearing that Taylor might be able to offer “very substantial” assistance in another federal investigation. Taylor’s attorney, Steve Sadow, told Judge Orinda Evans that Taylor could offer the government insight into “activities going on in the Northeast.”
Had Taylor not cooperated in the investigation, he would have received a minimum 10 years in federal prison, where there is no parole.
In another court proceeding last year, Taylor testified that he was introduced to Terry Flenory by Paul Buford, Combs’ chief of security. Buford and 38 other defendants were indicted along with the Flenory brothers in Detroit. There has been no resolution in Buford’s case.
