Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 11-8-16 Online Edition

Feature
President Obama Commutes Sentence Of Rapper Tampa Tony
Jamaican reggae artist, Buju Banton and Tampa Bay’s rapper, Tampa Tony are both serving drug sen- tences in prison for conspir- acy to distribute cocaine. Buju Banton is serving a 10- year sentence and Tampa Tony was serving a life sen- tence.
Thanks to President Barack Obama, Antonio "Tampa Tony" Alls will not have to spend the rest of his life behind bars. The Presi- dent has commuted the rap- per’s sentence from life to 240 months.
Alls has served 104 months of his life sentence since March 5, 2008, but his sen-
tencing was shortened to 240 months on March 18.
The now 41-year-old was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distrib- ute and possession with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine. He is currently at Talladega Federal Correctional Institute in Ala- bama.
President Obama com- muted Alls’ sentence to a 150-month prison term, which means he would be re- leased in 2020.
Alls was arrested Oct. 12, 2006 after he accepted a de- livery of 24 kilograms of co- caine. Federal law enforcement agents seized
TAMPA TONY
$20,000 from Alls’ vehicle that day and $219,000 from a home in the 12400 block of White Bluff Drive in Hudson. Law enforcement had used a confidential informant in order to build the case against Alls and his co-defendants, according to court documents.
The confidential informant went to the Arizona home of Sergio Medina, who pleaded guilty to charges in the same case, and picked up
BUJU BANTON
a total of 24 kilograms of co- caine between Oct. 5 -6, 2006. The cocaine was scheduled to be taken in a tractor trailer co- defendant Julio Cesar Her- nandez-Varela home in Wesley Chapel.
Reggae fans were hoping to that President Obama would also commute the sen- tence of living reggae legend, Buju Banton, but the presi- dent did no such thing. It seems like all of President
Obama’s grinning and talk- ing patois in Jamaica was nothing but political postur- ing. So sadly, Buju Banton will have to serve out his 10- year sentence as President Obama turned a deaf ear to the cry of Jamaicans and reg- gae fans all over the world.
Buju Banton whose real name is Mark Myrie was convicted for “conspiracy to possess with intent to distrib- ute” and “using the wires to facilitate a drug trafficking of- fense,” federal offenses that together carry a 10-year penalty.
A third conviction, “know- ing and intentionally carrying a firearm to further a drug of- fense” (5 year minimum), was thrown out at his sentencing hearing, however upon appeal by the Prosecution, the charge was reinstated. Prosecutor later dropped the firearm charges in exchange for Buju Banton to drop all future ap- peals.
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