Eleven years. That’s how long Meek Mill has been on probation.
But on Wednesday he learned that his 2008 drug and gun conviction was overturned in a unanimous decision by a panel of three judges in Pennsylvania Superior Court.
The rapper will now get a new trial, as well as a judge that’s not going to be Genece Brinkley, who’s been presiding over his case and has been accused of having a vendetta against him.
The ruling is mainly because the prosecution’s chief witness, a police officer named Reggie Graham, was on a list of cops that were said to have credibility issues.
The three judges also overturned Mill’s probation violations that Brinkley handed down.
Because in 2017 she sentenced the rapper to 2-to-4 years in prison after he was seen popping wheelies on a motorbike in New York City. He was also arrested for having a fight at St. Louis Lambert International Airport. But the appeal judges said Brinkley and the court “abused its discretion” when sending the rapper back to prison.
Mill responded to the news about his conviction being overturned Wednesday on Instagram.
“As of right now I’m not on probation and I am not a felon anymore 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 today was mega!!! he wrote.
Mill also released a written statement on the ruling.
“I’d like to thank the Pennsylvania Superior Court judges for their wisdom and transparency in reviewing my case, unanimously overturning my conviction and granting me a new trial,” wrote Mill.
“The past 11 years have been mentally and emotionally challenging, but I’m ecstatic that justice prevailed,” he added. “This positive outcome wouldn’t have been possible without the support of my family, my attorneys, Jay-Z, Desiree Perez, Michael Rubin, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office and my supporters who have stood with me through the ups and downs.”
Prosecutors could drop the case entirely at this point, which, according to a TMZ unnamed source, is the most likely scenario. That’s because the case is 12 years old and the main witness has huge credibility issues.
Since being let out of prison in April on the probation violation charge, Mill has been fighting for criminal justice reform and started the organization The Reform Alliance with people like Jay-Z. And it’s something the Philly artist said he’ll continue to do going forward.
“Unfortunately, millions of people are dealing with similar issues in our country and don’t have the resources to fight back like I did,” stated Mill. “We need to continue supporting them. I’m committed to working with my team at The Reform Alliance to change these outdated laws and fix our broken criminal justice system.”
