Lil Durk has once again been ordered to stay in jail without bail until his murder-for-hire trial, with a federal judge finding that the rapper attempted to flee to Dubai before his arrest and might try to escape again if let free.
The Chicago drill star (Durk Banks) has been incarcerated in Los Angeles since he was charged last year with ordering members of his Only the Family (OTF) crew to carry out a 2022 attack on rival rapper Quando Rondo that left another man dead.
Durk’s lawyers sought his release after controversial references to the rapper’s lyrics were removed from his indictment, arguing that the updated charges are merely a “weak patchwork of unsupported and non-specific allegations.” A magistrate judge rejected that request in May, and the more senior Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald agreed on Monday (June 9) that Durk must stay in jail until his scheduled October trial.
Judge Fitzgerald’s ruling said Durk is a flight risk, citing prosecutors’ contention that he tried to get on a flight to Dubai ahead of his arrest. The United Arab Emirates does not have an extradition treaty with the U.S.
“The defense has made no showing that the specific trip to Dubai was pre-planned,” wrote Judge Fitzgerald. “The court accepts that defendant has business and spiritual reasons to travel to the Middle East. There is no evidence that he intended to do so that day for any reason apart from the murder and resulting arrests of the co-defendants.”
The judge also was not convinced that Durk’s proposed $4.5 million bail package would be enough incentive to stop him from fleeing. The ruling noted that $1 million of that money has been put up by Durk’s label Alamo Records, and “there is no moral suasion on defendant to prevent a corporation to lose money.”
While Durk has proposed putting up the remaining $3 million cash bail himself, Judge Fitzgerald pointed out that this amount is “only a fraction of defendant’s net worth.” The rapper could easily give up those funds, flee abroad and still earn a “handsome living” off his intellectual property, said the judge.
Judge Fitzgerald additionally found that Durk would pose a danger to witnesses in the case if he were let out of jail. The ruling cited newly-unsealed evidence in a separate Chicago murder-for-hire case that Durk is linked to, though not charged in, which suggests he tried to place a bounty on the family member of a witness.
“The government’s additional evidence points to a danger to anyone in this case who might testify against defendant,” said the judge. “As the magistrate judge concluded, ‘defendant uses his money, influence and power to endanger individuals whom he perceives as a threat.’”
A spokesperson for the prosecution declined to comment on Judge Fitzgerald’s decision. Durk’s attorney did not immediately return a request for comment.
