Two billionaires made a surprise visit Tuesday to the state prison in Chester City to see the jailed rapper Meek Mill.
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft joined one of Mill's good friends, entrepreneur Michael Rubin.
The two men with a combined worth of $9 billion (according to Fortune) told reporters outside the State Correctional Institute (SCI)-Chester they came to the prison to give their support in person for the release of the 30-year-old Philadelphia native, whose real name is Robert Rihmeek Williams.
"Amazing young man. I know how I’d feel if I was in the situation he is," Kraft said outside the prison. "Every time I see him, I just come away more impressed. He’s very intelligent. And makes it clear to me we have to do something with criminal justice reform."
Kraft described the entire situation as "just sad."
"This guy's a great guy. (He) shouldn't be here," he added.
Last week, the fight over rapper Meek Mill’s prison sentence for a probation violation reached Pennsylvania's highest court.
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The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office filed a motion last Thursday to the court reiterating that it does not oppose Mill being released on bail, a position the office first shared with NBC10 last month.
Mill is serving to 2 to 4 years in prison since being sentenced in November 2017 for violating his probation after failing a drug test, traveling out of the region and getting arrested for fighting and other related offenses.
Attorneys representing Mill have filed several motions to release the rapper from prison, accusing the judge overseeing his case of harboring a grudge and even being infatuated with the 30-year-old.
“We are encouraged by the Philadelphia District Attorney’s steadfast stance in not opposing Meek Mill’s release on bail at the Pennsylvania Supreme Court level while the current legal proceedings continue, even in light of Judge [Genece] Brinkley’s vindictive and erroneous decision,” Joe Tacopina, Mill’s lawyer, said in a statement.
Two weeks ago, Brinkley issued a 48-page opinion in Pennsylvania Superior Court calling her sentence “reasonable” and “appropriate.”
"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.
Meek Mill was initially 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.
