Kodak Black thanks Donald Trump for gun fraud pardon – but rapper still faces 30 years’ jail on sex assault charge
AMERICAN rapper Kodak Black has thanked Donald Trump for a last minute pardon, though he could still face up to 30 years in prison for an old sexual assault charge.
Donald Trump, who departed the White House yesterday with the promise “we will be back”, issued 143 clemency actions in the dying hours of his presidency.
The list of the 73 people granted last-minute pardons and the 70 whose sentences were commuted included his former aide Steve Bannon along with rappers Kodak Black and Lil Wayne.
The 23-year-old tweeted his thanks to Trump on Wednesday night, for commuting the sentence related to the the gun charges which had landed him in prison.
“I Want To Thank The President For His Commitment To Justice Reform And Shortening My Sentence,” he said.
“I Also Want To Thank Everyone For Their Support And Love.”
“It Means More Than You Will Ever Know.”
Black said he wanted to “continue giving back, learning and growing”.
Daniel Scavino, an American political adviser who served in the Trump administration in communications, was also tagged in Black's tweet.
The rapper, born born Bill Kahan Kapri, is currently in Illinois’ USP Thomson prison, where he has been serving a 46-month sentence on gun charges.
MULTIPLE CONVICTIONS
He was prosecuted on federal weapons offences in May 2019, when he indicated on paperwork that he was not under indictment while attempting to purchase firearms. He was out on bond for sexual assault charged in South Carolina at the time.
Black was arrested before his set at Miami's Rolling Loud festival in May, .
One of the guns he bought was used in an attempted shooting in March. Prosecutors said "a rival rap artist was the intended target".
However, he had not been charged in relation to that shooting.
Black also pled guilty to second degree criminal possession of a weapon in March 2020, following an April 2019 arrest at the border between the United States and Canada.
The sexual assault charge that still stands against Black related to an incident in Florence back in 2016.
According to the Florence County Public Index, Black’s case is still moving through the court system. If charged, he could face up to 30 additional years in prison.
The rapper has had a troubled time in prison.
In September 2020 the Atlanta Black Star reported that Black had filed a lawsuit against the Federal Bureau of Prisons. He claimed prison guards at Big Sandy Penitentiary in Inez, Kentucky, had beat, tortured and mentally abused him since his arrival.
He was moved to FTC Oklahoma City soon after, then to Thomson some time following that.
Around this time he publicly asked Donald Trump to commute his sentence.
BLACK A 'COMMUNITY LEADER'
The White House statement about Black's commutation referenced his philanthropic work, calling him a "community leader" as well as a "prominent artist".
"He has committed to supporting a variety of charitable efforts, such as providing educational resources to students and families of fallen law enforcement officers and the underprivileged," it said.
The statement went on to note that Black had paid for the notebooks of school children, provided funding and supplies to daycare centers, provided food for the hungry, and annually provides for underprivileged children during Christmas".
Trump’s wave of clemency actions were notable for the absence of family members and others that were touted to be under consideration – including Trump himself and his lawyer .
A senior administration official told that no member of Trump's family, nor the president or his lawyer, would be pardoned.
star wasn't pardoned, despite high hopes from his legal team, who , as The Sun reported.
Lil Wayne, 38 – whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr, got the green light on Trump’s lengthy list.
Trump also after Snoop Dogg's campaign to free drug kingpin.
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The 60-year-old was jailed more than 30 years ago following his cocaine trafficking and attempted murder convictions and originally set to be released form jail in October 2028.
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The list also included a substantial list of political figures; former Democratic Michigan state representative Kilpatrick, who was serving a 28-year prison term on corruption charges, and Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.
Other names on the list were unfamiliar, regular people who had spent years languishing in prison, as well as politically connected friends and allies like those Trump has pardoned in the past.
