Rapper Meek Mill's 2- to 4-year prison sentence for violating probation is "reasonable" and necessary, the judge presiding over the case ruled when denying his appeal for release.
Judge Genece Brinkley's decision late last week presents the latest roadblock to a multifaceted legal and public relations campaign trying to free the Philadelphia entertainer from prison.
In a 48-page judicial opinion filed with the Pennsylvania Superior Court, Brinkley outlined her reasons for sending Meek Mill, whose real name is Robert Williams, to prison in November following his fifth probation violation.
The court was lenient with the rapper so that he could work on rehabilitation from opioid abuse, but he repeatedly "thumbed his nose" at those efforts, Brinkley wrote.
"Instead of simply complying with the terms and conditions of his probation so he could finish out his sentence and continue to work, [Mill] continued to disregard this Court's directions and did whatever he wanted to do," she wrote.
The judge added that the 2- to 4-year prison sentence was "reasonable," "appropriate" and necessary to "vindicate" and assert the court's authority.
Meek Mill was arrested in 2007 on drug and weapon violations. He went to jail and was released on parole in 2009 after serving six months. While on parole, he tested positive for drugs, left the city without permission, engaged in a fight in the St. Louis airport, and illegally operated an ATV on the streets of New York City.
U.S. & World
Stories that affect your life across the U.S. and around the world.
The judge's comments are part of a lengthy response to several legal challenges levied by Meek Mill's defense team. The attorneys accused Brinkley of being vindictive toward the rapper and having inappropriate contact with him over the course of his decade-long legal saga.
Earlier this year, the defense called for Brinkley to be removed from the case and filed legal challenges with the state superior court demanding that the rapper be released from the state penitentiary in Chester, Pennsylvania.
The superior court kicked the case back to Brinkley's court and, on Thursday, she ruled that the sentence will stand and that she will not recuse herself from the case.
Brinkley repeatedly denied any impropriety and said many claims were false or without merit.
Joe Tacopina, a member of Meek Mill's legal team, blasted Brinkley's latest ruling saying it "reaffirms the fact she has turned Meek Mill’s case into a personal vendetta."
"Fortunately, we have already filed petitions with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to secure his release and we remain hopeful that the Court will right this injustice very soon," Tacopina said ending his statement.
