PHILADELPHIA (CelebrityAccess) — A Philadelphia judge has denied a bid by rapper Meek Mill to seek a new trial on drug and gun charges that are more than a decade old.
Mill, whose real name is, Robert Rihmeek Williams, had sought a new trial after corruption allegations against the arresting officer in the case raised questions about his credibility.
According to NBC News, Common Pleas Court Judge Genece Brinkley said in her opinion released on Monday that Mill’s attorneys had “failed to meet his burden of proof” to have the conviction overturned.
Judge Brinkley also questioned the thoroughness of the Philadelphia prosecutors who reviewed the corruption allegations against the arresting officer, NBC reported.
“We are not at all surprised by Judge Brinkley’s decision today. Despite the agreement of the District Attorney’s office on the need for a new trial, and the granting of new trials to other identically situated defendants, Judge Brinkley made clear during the hearing on June 18th that she had already decided the matter,” Mill’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, said in a statement following the ruling.
Mill had been free on probation until last year, when several high profile incidents, including allegedly speeding on a motorcycle through Manhattan and a failed drug test saw Mill sentenced for two-to-four years for parole violation.
Since then, Reginald Graham, the officer who arrested Mill in 2008, was added to a list of police officers suspected of lying in court and framing witnesses. As well, another former police officer who was part of the 2008 arresting team, said in an affidavit that Graham lied under oath in his testimony during the trial.
Mill’s attorney said that he plans to appeal the case to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
