King Sunny Ade Speaks On Ex Guitarist's Drug Smuggling Issue

About 2 weeks ago, Mr Fatoke Abiodun, an ex guitarist of the legendary juju musiain, King Sunny Ade was caught trying to smuggle 1.575kg of Cocaine overseas from Nigeria at Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos. The man had claimed that what pushed him to do this was cos he had been having money problems since he left Sunny Ade's band..making it look like he didn't have anything to show for for his time with the King of Juju music's band.



Read what KSA had to say about this-

I pay salaries to the members of staff of my company. As for my band members, we share money based on what we make at every show where we perform. I would first of all, remove the money for taxes, equipment we used and other stuff connected to the performance. Thereafter, the remaining money is shared among all of us. Before now, I advised my band members that we should have a common purse, where we should leave money for welfare. But they refused and insisted that everything should be shared.

If he and the others had agreed to my advice then, he wouldn’t have had any reason to say he didn’t get any severance allowance,”

“But he worked for me for 30 years. Those who have even worked for me for two years are so well off now. How can he say he didn’t have anything after 30 years? Are those there now complaining?

“And to set the records straight, I didn’t sack him, he left on his own. We came back from an international show and he told me he wanted to start his own band and said I should assist him.

“Before I knew what was happening, he went to Ibadan with my guitar without my knowledge in order to start his own band. I told him to return my guitar and when he didn’t, I had to involve the police. That was how he left,” KSA added.

He said he had not seen Abiodun since he left his band in 2007.

“Anybody who is involved in any crime has it in him. It is not proper for anybody to say that it was a condition that led him to a crime. He was among those in the high category in my band. It is surprising that he claimed he had nothing. I have never seen or heard from him since he left my band.

“In the 30 years he worked for me, he never exhibited such criminal attitude. I am always concerned about the people travelling with me. I make sure we all travel light and get whatever we need for the performance in the country we are going.

“I have never seen cocaine. I don’t smoke, I don’t drink and we are always checked thoroughly at the airport here and at the airport over there,” he said. (lindaikeji.blogspot.com) 

Jimmy Henchman's Son Speaks on Father's Situation

Jimmy "henchman" Rosemond, Czar Entertainment boss has been on trial for the last couple of weeks on a cocaine trafficking case. Although the majority believe Jimmy is guilty, his son believes otherwise. Check out what the son had to say below-


The son of James “Jimmy Henchman” Rosemond recently sat down with AllHipHop.com to discuss his father’s cocaine trial, which is currently taking place in Federal Court in Brooklyn, New York.
Rosemond Jr., who celebrated a birthday over the holiday weekend, remains optimistic and convinced of his father’s innocence.




James Rosemond, Sr., who managed acts like Sean Kingston, Game, Mike Tyson, Akon, and others, is facing a life sentence for allegedly masterminding a $10 million-a-year cocaine operation.
“I am blessed to celebrate another year, but at the same time my heart is heavy,” James “Lil Henchman” Rosemond told AllHipHop.com. “If I had one wish, it would be to have my father free and home with me and my little sisters.”

The elder Rosemond was arrested in June 2011 on cocaine distribution charges, after a 30-day, nationwide manhunt.

“It’s been a year since we have had to hear lie after lie about my dad, but mind you all, I know the truth because I lived with him,” added Lil Hench, who has attended each day of testimony since the trial began on May 14.

Although his father is charged with serious crimes, Lil Henchman said that his dad raised him well and helped him better his life.

“I am who I am today because of my dad. I am enrolled in college because of my dad,” Lil Hench told AllHipHop.com.

Lil Henchman and Jimmy Henchman

“I have experienced different cultures and learned to give back because of my dad. I want to dedicate my birthday today with ‘Free James Rosemond’ and a birthday wish of him returning home to his family. Love you dad, and we are going to fight this fight!”

Jimmy Henchman Cocaine Trafficking Case- Day 6

Check out the day 6 updates on Jimmy Henchman's cocaine trafficking case below...in case you don't know, he is the Founder of Czar Entertainment, and one time manager of big artist like Brandy, Akon and Game.

The sixth day of testimony continued in the Federal drug trial of James “Jimmy Henchman” Rosemond, in Brooklyn, New York today (May 22).

Rosemond is accused of masterminding a $10 million-per-year cocaine operation, that imported hundreds of kilos of cocaine per week into New York.

Prosecutors claim that millions in cash was laundered through various companies controlled by Rosemond.
Today in court, testimony continued from a variety of prosecution witnesses.

The case agent assigned to the Rosemond investigation, Marc Van Driessche, testified today.
Agent Van Driessche investigated Rosemond starting in 2008, until his arrest in June 21, 2011, at a W Hotel after a month-long, nationwide manhunt. Since then, Rosemond has met with authorities nine different times in an attempt to reach a cooperation agreement with the government.

After his arrest, Rosemond’s first meeting with prosecutors took place on October 4, 2011.
Agent Van Driessche said he attended a meeting with two prosecutors, agents, and an attorney representing Rosemond.

It was during this session that Rosemond admitted that he was a co-conspirator in the cocaine case.
During his first meeting with authorities, Rosemond admitted that he e-mailed an associate named Jason Williams on an encrypted Blackberry, so the pair could pick up “one of them things.”

Later, the two men went to an auto body shop in Newark, New Jersey, where an illegal trap was being fitted on to a black Dodge charger.

Rosemond picked up the charger and went to the LeFrak Housing Projects in Queens, where he received up a kilo of cocaine.

He then met with an associate named Winston “Winnie” Harris, who had already began cooperating with the DEA and was wearing a wire, with agents listening in.

“He was surprised Winston didn’t have the money, but he instructed Jason to handover a kilo of cocaine anyway,” agent Van Driessche testified.

Rosemond said that when he returned, he noticed police entering into his building, so he fled.
In the Proffer Agreement, Rosemond said he later he received a call from someone in Jamaica, who revealed that Winston Harris had been cooperating with authorities.

Rosemond put “two and two together” and fled Brooklyn for the Gowanus Housing Projects, where he spent the night in a staircase hiding from authorities.

Rosemond then made it to a hotel in Brooklyn, borrowed a white BMW from a family member, and traveled to Virginia, where he met up with Jason Williams.

Later in the evening, Rosemond said he traveled to Miami alone by train, where he had his housekeeper to remove $25,000 in cash.

“We didn’t know what happened to the defendant after police entered his apartment in New York,” agent Van Driessche testified.

In the Proffer Agreement, Rosemond also acknowledged he was aware of the $1.2 million stashed in a music crate at Smash Studios, which was going to be delivered to criminal associates in California.
According to agent Van Driessche, Rosemond admitted that in 2010 alone, two associates in the conspiracy provided him almost 500 kilos of cocaine.

He also admitted that he gave a connect named Lamont Bennett $300,000 in cash to settle a cocaine debt.
Van Driessche testified that Rosemond complained that he was going to be forced to sell one kilo at a time, until his money was back up, since he lost hundreds-of-thousands due to seizures of packages.


Rosemond’s publicist issued an official statement to AllHipHop.com about the testimony today:
“As an official publicist for Jimmy for many years, I’ve been listening in on the trial,” Rosemond’s publicist, Sabrina Stowe de Fernandez, told AllHipHop.com. “Since day one, his defense attorney admitted that Jimmy apparently lied during proffering sessions. The prosecutors took the deal off the table and is basically trying to bring those lies into the case as evidence.”

Jimmy Henchman Cocaine Trafficking Case- Day 3

I think this thing is getting really detailed and interesting. In case you are reading for the first time, Jimmy henchman has been on trial for the last couple of days on charges of running a Cocaine Trafficking operation. Jimmy Henchman is the founder of Czar Entertainment, which managed artists like Brandy, Akon and Game in the past.




An article published by the New York Daily News helped triggered the demise of a massive cocaine operation, allegedly headed up by James “Jimmy Henchman” Rosemond.


Rosemond is currently on trial in Brooklyn, New York, for allegedly masterminding the $10 million-a-year cocaine operation, that shipped drugs from Los Angeles to New York, and sent the proceeds back West.
The organization would ship hundreds of kilos of cocaine per month in music crates and vacuum sealed bags, using various overnight services.


The organization employed the same technique with millions in cash as well, according to testimony from Khalil Abdullah.


Abdullah, 38, was a high-ranking, trusted manager in the organization, who is now cooperating with the government and testifying against Rosemond.


Today (May 16) in court, Khalil Abdullah testified that a September 2010 article published in the New York Daily News convinced him that Rosemond was cooperating with authorities.


Abdullah was aware an investigation was taking place and was fearful that Rosemond would turn him.
The New York Daily News article claimed that Rosemond had already cooperated with federal authorities in two previous cases, one in North Carolina and the other in Florida.


When Abdullah read the article, he testified that he did his own research and found official court documents, which confirmed that Rosemond had indeed cooperate with authorities, in two separate cases.
“I believed it was true…he said it wasn’t true. My opinion was strong,” Abdullah testified. “If he did it before, he would do it again. That’s when I decided to take action myself. I was the dude on the front line.”
This information, along with previous articles written by journalist Chuck Philips and documents that circulated through prison, helped undermine Rosemond’s credibility in the underworld. It was then, that Abdullah hatched a bizarre plan, contacted the FBI, the DEA and the New York prosecutors office, in hopes of setting up Rosemond and his associates.


Incredibly, Khalil Abdullah went to a Kinko’s in Atlanta Georgia, typed up a letter to the FBI, the DEA and the New York prosecutor’s office.


He revealed the details behind a large shipment that was expected to arrive in New York that same day.
Abdullah then set up a long time associate and told him that there was $1 million in cash at Smash Recording Studios in New York.


Abdullah said he instructed the associate to leave $650,000 behind, which was the amount he said was waiting for the FBI, in hopes of concealing and stealing, the $400,000 difference.


Abdullah said he continued to associate with Rosemond and act like he was clueless as to any investigations into the organization.


Abdullah testified that he was “stunned” when authorities presented a photograph of him faxing the document at Kinko’s, since the company takes footage of every person that sends a fax.
But Rosemond’s attorney Gerald Shargel vigorously cross-examined Khalil Abdullah and questioned his motives to testify.


According to Abdullah himself, he has met with prosecutors 16 times in the past year, with eight of those dates dedicated to pre-trial coaching.


Shargel also went through a number of allegations that were presented by the prosecution, and noted that there was no physical or actual connection to Rosemond in any of the evidence presented thus far.
Khalil Abdullah admitted on the stand that he has a cooperation agreement in place with authorities, in addition to having to pay back a $100,000 fine.


Abdullah testified that from 2007 until 2011, he earned over $4 million in illegal drug proceeds





Read up on Day 1 and Day 2 of the trial.

Jimmy Henchman Cocaine Trafficking Trail- Day 2 Continued

Read up the updates on this below-





A former confident and associate of James “Jimmy Henchman” Rosemond took the stand today (May 15) and testified against his former friend. Kahlil Abdullah, 38, is cooperating with the federal government in the case against Rosemond, who is accused of being the mastermind of a $10 million-a-year cocaine operation.
Abdullah appeared in court in a blue prison top and testified against Rosemond, who sat across from him in a neatly pressed blue suit.




During the testimony, Kahlil Abdullah laid out the structure of the drug operation, which was allegedly moving up to 100 kilograms of cocaine per week, from 2007 until 2011.
Abdullah walked through the Rosemond organization’s hierarchy, breaking down the entire structure for the jury.




According to Abdullah, the organizations’ employed “catchers,” who picked up packages of drugs and money and delivered them to Rosemond’s associates.


“Packers” packaged the drugs at stash houses for shipment and/or storage.
“Sellers” sold the drugs at prices allegedly set by Rosemond, while “managers,” such as Abdullah, coordinated shipments of cocaine and money.


“We had a business relationship,” Kahlil Abdullah admitted to the jury. “We sold drugs together. The money was packed in New York and sent to Los Angeles and picked up by the catchers, and vacuum seal bags to conceal the money.”


The drugs were then sent back to New York and distributed in Brooklyn, Queens, New York and other cities.


The operation sounds vast, but In total, there were 16 men who were named as being involved in the main hierarchy of the alleged drug dealing operation.


Abdullah said he met Rosemond while he was doing security for artists Rosemond managed, during a concert in Washington DC, over 12 years ago.


While their relationship started off strictly business, it soon turned to criminal activity.
“He [Rosemond] said he had money he needed to clean up, about $275,000,” Abdullah said, stating that Rosemond wanted a check in return for his cash.


Soon after the initial offer, Kahlil Abdullah said he began acting as a “catcher” for the Rosemond organization.


“He offered a chance to make money. We met in Harlem, he said there would be no headaches,” Abdullah testified. “He said ‘you can’t go to jail for getting caught with money’ and if I went to LA he would show me how.”


Abdullah was no gullible victim of schemes allegedly hatched by Rosemond.
Kahlil Abdullah’s criminal activity dates back to his teens and involved petty criminal activities, in addition more serious charges.


He even admitted that he and an associate shot a rival drug dealer, who made disparaging comments about him.


But Abdullah avoided prosecution after he paid the victim $25,000.
The victim then notarized a letter stating that Abdullah had nothing to do with the shooting, which allowed him to avoid prosecution.


Abdullah also hired the legal services of Jeffrey Lichtman, who allegedly represented a number of Rosemond’s associates, after they had been arrested with large amounts of cash or drugs.


While some shipments were intercepted as early as 2008, the government claims the organization still managed to ship as many as 60 kilograms of cocaine per-week, using overnight express courier services.
To achieve this, Abdullah told the jury that he created customized phony music crates, which had a double lining on the inside, that could store an average of $155,000 in cash.


The organization would also ship $500,000-$800,000 in drug proceeds in vacuumed sealed, mustard lined packages, to conceal the odor of the money.


The drug proceeds were then allegedly sent to Rosemond’s Los Angeles apartment, where it was counted and reinvested in drugs and expenses for fake ID’s, debit cards, encrypted Blackberrys and other tools of the trade.


Abdullah admitted that he was cooperating with the government and testifying against Rosemond, in hopes of receiving a reduced sentence.


Abdullah said that he is hopeful he will receive what’s known as a “5K1″ letter, which will allow him to receive a reduced sentence, despite a federally mandated prison sentence that calls him to serve at least 10 years-to-life in prison.


Khalil Abdullah is formally charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and obstruction of justice.
Testimony will continue tomorrow.

Jimmy Henchman Trial- Day 2 Updates

Jimmy Henchman, owner of Czar Entertainment and former Manager of rapper Game is on trial for Cocaine trafficking. Below are details on his trial.



Second day in the trial of Hip-Hop mogul James “Jimmy Henchman” Rosemond got underway today, but not without some controversy. prosecution presented several witnesses to bolster their case against Rosemond, who is accused of running a $10 million-per-year cocaine operation.


Rosemond has pleaded not guilty to the charges and claims he is the victim of a smear campaign, allegedly started in part by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Chuck Philips.


Part of Rosemond’s defense centers around several articles written by Philips, as well as his actions after he was laid off by the Los Angeles Times.
The article claimed Rosemond was behind the 1994 shooting of Tupac Shakur at Quad Recording Studios in Manhattan.


The Los Angeles Times eventually published a retraction, laid off Philips and paid Rosemond a $250,000 settlement. Philips then sent documents to associates of Rosemond’s in prison around the country, further repeating the claims that he was a “snitch.”


Today (May 15), the two men finally met face-to-face for the first time in court.
Yesterday (May 14), as Philips was leaving court, he was handed a subpoena to testify in the case, since Rosemond unexpectedly made Philips’ articles a centerpiece of his defense.
After Rosemond attorney Gerald Shargel spotted Philips in the court room today, he called a sidebar and requested the judge to order Phillips to leave the court.


“[Gerald] Shargel used me as a red herring for the jury in his opening argument,” Philps told AllHipHop.com in an exclusive interview. “He subpoenaed me as witness not for my testimony, but so he could keep me out of the courtroom and stop me from covering the trial.”


After Philips identified himself Judge Gleeson politely asked Philips to excuse himself from court.
Philips promptly left, allowing the rest of the testimony in the case to continue for today.

Look out for part 2 of Day 2 soon...

News Update on Jimmy Henchman's Cocaine Case

Jimmy Henchman is a Haitian-American, and owner of Czar Entertainment- a Management Company that has managed Akon, Game, and Brandy in the past. He has since been in a lot of trouble with the law...one of which is the accusation of running a Cocaine distribution ring. Today, May 14 is the day his case opened in court- you can read the details below-


The trial of Hip-Hop mogul James “Jimmy Henchman” Rosemond began today (May 14) in Brooklyn Federal Court.
Rosemond, who at one point managed artists like Game, Brandy, Akon and others, is accused of being the head of a $10 million-year-cocaine ring.


Authorities accuse Rosemond, who appeared in a court today in a crisp, pin-stripped suit, of organizing a conspiracy to distribute cocaine imported from Los Angeles, to New York.
Prosecutors claim Rosemond used FedEx and other overnight shipping companies, to send cocaine from Los Angeles to New York, where the drugs were distributed, in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and other boroughs. 


The Prosecution
A multiracial jury made up of eight women and six men listened to opening statements from prosecutors early this afternoon.




Prosecutors said Rosemond headed up the cocaine empire from 2007 until 2011.
“The whole system ran like clockwork,” Assistant Prosecutor Una Dean said. “For a time business was good. He [Rosemond] had a lot of money and lived a life of luxury. But he didn’t just have money, he had cash, so he could continue to build his drug empire.”


Prosecutors accused Rosemond of using his management company, Czar Entertainment, as a front, to launder his drug proceeds. The Assistant D.A. said that on three separate occasions, police intercepted massive amounts of cash in bundles of $400,000 $600,000 and $800,000, respectively.
Prosecutors claimed that Rosemond created hundreds of front companies, and used thousands of money orders to pay for various luxury items He even used the money orders to pay one lawyer $300,000 in attorney fees. When Rosemond began to suspect authorities had infiltrated his drug empire, he started using other methods of sending the drugs back and forth between California and New York.


Police said that after Rosemond stopped using FedEx, he began shipping cocaine in music crates, to various recording studios in New York and sending the drug proceeds back to Los Angeles.
After some of those shipments were seized, Rosemond started shipping luxury cars stuffed with drugs, to New York and Los Angeles.




The Defense
Gerald Shargel said that there were four major flaws with the government’s case against Rosemond.
He said the government witnesses were liars, questioned their motives, said the evidence seized was flawed and that Rosemond’s reputation was strategically damaged by journalist Chuck Philips.


“I’m going to make a bold statement. The prosecution’s case against Jimmy Rosemond can’t be trusted,” Gerald Shargel told the jury. “The witnesses they are relying on want to be paid with the price of freedom. These witnesses have an eloquent history of lying. I don’t mean simply insignificant lies, I mean lies that hit to the heart of this case.”


Gerald Shargel said that most prosecution witnesses had a motive to lie, since that was the only way to have their federal sentences reduced, under federal guidelines. Some of the witnesses testifying against Rosemond face sentences ranging from 10 years, up to life in prison for drug dealing and other crimes.
Shargel said that he would also question the evidence in the case, as well as the corroboration of the evidence the government is present. Shargel said that Rosemond was the manager of several popular Hip-Hop artists, including Game, Akon, Mario Winans and others.


According to Shargel’s opening statements, Rosemond’s duties as a manager accounted for the large amounts of cash he frequently possessed.


Prosecutors began to object when Gerald Shargel laid out the final point of Rosemond’s defense, which was his reputation. Gerald Shargel pointed to an infamous article published in the Los Angeles Times by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Chuck Philips.


The article claimed that Rosemond was behind the 1994 shooting of Tupac Shakur, at Quad Recording Studios in Manhattan.


When the article was found to be fabricated, the Los Angeles Times was forced to publish a retraction, fire Chuck Philips and settle a defamation of character lawsuit with Jimmy Rosemond for $250,000.
A man named Dexter Isaac eventually confessed to be being the trigger man in the 1994 Quad shooting, on orders of Rosemond.


“This motivated people to go along with the government’s story,” Gerald Shargel told the jury. “When they cooperate, the mandatory minimum no longer exists. You will find that plays an important role, because the article motivated people to testify against Jimmy Rosemond,bwho was labeled a snitch.”


According to Gerald Shargel, the former Hip-Hop mogul attempted to cooperate with the government seven different times, but they were not satisfied with the information he provided to them.


“What about Game? You got any dirt on Sean Combs, or anything on 50 Cent? Who killed Tupac Shakur?’ Those were some of the questions the government wanted Rosemond to answer,” Gerald Shargel said.
Testimony continues in the trial all this week.
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