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Chicago rapper Lil Durk arrested in Broward County, Florida on murder-for-hire charges
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Chicago rapper Lil Durk arrested in Broward County, Florida on murder-for-hire charges

CHICAGO (Wales) — Chicago-born rapper Lil Durk was arrested in a murder-for-hire plot in South Florida, according to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office.

According to records, Lil Durk, whose real name is Durk Devontay Banks, is being held by the US Marshals Service.

Banks is accused of being the leader of a Chicago-based rap collective called Only the Family, which acted as a group of individuals who engaged in violence, including murder and assault, at Banks’ direction, according to a federal criminal complaint. The complaint was filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

According to the complaint, he is accused of “giving a monetary reward to a person with whom Banks had a feud.”

SEE ALSO: Lawsuit alleges Chicago rapper Lil Durk was involved in shooting that killed FBG Duck

According to the complaint, on Aug. 19, 2022, multiple OTF members allegedly drove two vehicles and worked together to “track, pursue, and attempt to kill a TB resident at a gas station located in Los Angeles.”

“His collaborators fired at least 18 shots into TB’s vehicle, hitting and killing SR (TB’s family member traveling with tuberculosis),” the complaint said.

The charges are tied to the 2022 attempted revenge killing of rapper Quando Rondo at a Los Angeles gas station. This shooting resulted in the death of Rondo’s cousin.

Banks is accused of conspiring to commit murder-for-hire in the slaying of Robinson, 24-year-old Saviay, who was shot to death on Aug. 19, 2022, according to an FBI affidavit released Friday.

Banks is one of five co-conspirators charged in the case with crimes including murder, murder for hire and conspiracy to commit murder for hire resulting in death, according to the complaint.

The federal complaint alleged that five people were paid to travel from Chicago to Los Angeles to commit the murder. All five individuals were arrested and search warrants were executed at locations linked to OTF members.

There could be at least two more arrests, according to court documents filed.

The shooting stems from the November 2020 killing of OTF rapper King Von, 26, after Von and Rondo got into a fight at an Atlanta nightclub, according to an affidavit from FBI Agent Sarah Corcoran and other federal court records. Records say a friend of Rondo pulled a gun and shot Von several times, killing him. Von, whose real name is Dayvon Bennett, had two hit singles: Crazy Story and “Took Her to the Him.”

Authorities say Banks announced she would give a “reward” to anyone who killed Rondo, whose real name is Tyquian Bowman.

Almost two years later, a murder plot quickly emerged, Corcoran wrote.

On August 18, 2022, Banks’ associates learned that Rondo was staying at a hotel in Los Angeles. That day, Deandre Wilson, Keith Jones, David Lindsey, Asa Houston and an unnamed fifth suspect flew from Chicago to San Diego and then traveled to Los Angeles using funds provided by Banks, Corcoran said.

That day, Banks allegedly texted an employee who was arranging the flights: “Do not book flights under any name that has nothing to do with me.” Corcoran said there is video evidence that Banks was staying at a home in the San Fernando Valley that day.

When OTF members arrived in Los Angeles, they met Kayon Grant, who flew there on a private jet. Grant, a top employee at OTF, rented hotel rooms to the men and bought them four ski masks and two luxury sedans, according to court records. Grant allegedly gave Jones, Lindsey, and a third unnamed suspect guns, including ones converted into fully automatic machine guns.

The next day, the group allegedly followed Rondo and Robinson in a Cadillac Escalade as they drove to a Los Angeles marijuana dispensary, a West Hollywood clothing store, and then to a gas station across from the Beverly Center.

Houston parked his car behind the station so Jones, Lindsey, and the unnamed defendant could ambush Rondo. In the indictment and news about the incident, it is stated that they went out and opened fire, killing Robinson, who was standing outside the Escalade but missed Rondo.

The suspects then went to an In-N-Out hamburger stand and discussed payment with Grant, then flew to San Diego, Corcoran and Chicago, according to other documents. Wilson then allegedly paid Jones and Lindsey an undisclosed amount.

Grant, Jones. Lindsey, Wilson and Houston were arrested Thursday in Chicago on conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire charges. Attorney information for the men was not immediately available in court records.

After their arrest, Banks booked two flights from South Florida airports, one to Dubai and the other to Switzerland, Corcoran wrote. He then booked a private flight to Italy but was arrested in Miami before he could board the flight.

Banks made her first appearance Friday afternoon at the C. Clyde Atkins U.S. Courthouse in Miami. After leaving court, Banks’ attorney Alek Ubieta asked for privacy, telling Miami ABC affiliate WPLG, “We will not be commenting at this time.”

ABC News also reached out to Ubieta.

Banks’ family was also seen leaving court on Friday.

“We knew when the others were charged that this was a conspiracy involving multiple players, but the fact that he is now charged so closely to the other charges indicates that this is about them and that the conspiracy is broader than what was originally presented,” said legal analyst Gil Soffer.

As prosecutors move forward with the case, members of the OTF group will likely be used to secure convictions.

“They’re definitely going to try to trick someone into the conspiracy and use that testimony against the other defendants, maybe there’s a wiretap here. There could be a tip-off. All of these pieces will come together to make a case against the defendants,” Sofer said.

Banks’ arrest comes just weeks after the rapper was named in a lawsuit alleging his involvement in the fatal gang-related shooting of Carlton Weekly-born Chicago rapper FBG Duck in 2020.

Duck was killed by a group of masked men while waiting to enter a luxury store in the Gold Coast district.

Six gang members who allegedly committed Weekly’s murder were found guilty.

SEE ALSO: Elgin high school senior dies after being shot while attending Lil Durk concert at UC: ‘Best friend I ever had’

Weekly’s mother spoke with ABC7’s Karen Jordan after filing the lawsuit.

“Not a day goes by that I don’t think about him and the life that was taken from him.” said FBG Duck’s mother, LaSheena Weekly.

Lil Durk and his team have not commented on this lawsuit.

The village of Broadview, Illinois, pulled the key to the city from Lil Durk on Friday.

“While the American justice system grants everyone a presumption of innocence until proven guilty in court, the public court of public opinion in Broadview Village holds even higher standards of moral and ethical conduct. And so should our public partners. Durk ‘Lil Durk’ Banks was arrested in Florida and given the news that he has been charged with murder-for-hire, the Village of Broadview is withdrawing the honorary ‘key to the village’ given to Durk, Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson said in a statement.

The 32-year-old Chicago rapper won a Grammy for best melodic rap performance earlier this year for his song “All My Life” featuring J. Cole. His albums “The Voice”, released in 2020, and “7220”, released in 2022, went platinum. His newest album was scheduled to be released next month.

Lil Durk is among the industry’s most popular drill rap artists, a controversial hip-hop subgenre that began in Chicago and was popularized by Durk and rappers such as Chief Keef, Fredo Santana, and G Herbo. He is known for his often violent lyrics and his connection to Chicago’s gang culture.

If convicted of the crimes, Banks could face life in prison.

“The punishment is really severe…even the death penalty if there are sufficient aggravating circumstances,” Soffer said.

The Associated Press and ABC News contributed to this report.

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