After news of Meek Mill’s two to four year prison sentence broke, revelations about Genece Brinkley, the judge in the case, are spilling out. Meek’s lawyer Joe Tacopina told TMZ in a statement that Brinkley had a history with Meek Mill that he believes affected her treatment of the rapper throughout the nine years she’s been supervising his probation. He describes her as “enamored” with the rapper, which he argues may have affected the sentence for a probation violation. The verdict was one that even Jay-Z felt compelled to deem “unjust and heavy-handed” last night on Facebook. If you believe what Tacopina is alleging, that may be an understatement.
Tacopina further claimed in his statement that Brinkley asked Meek to do a cover of a Boyz II Men song and “shout her out” on it, replying “suit yourself” when he refused.
Now Tacopina is also alleging the judge took it a step further and asked Meek to leave Roc Nation and let her friend be his manager. He told Billboard that Brinkley’s request that he leaves Roc Nation management for “a local Philadelphia guy who has a spotted past” is proof that she has a “personal interest” in the case.
Tacopina also claims that Brinkley made excessive visits to Meek’s community service requirements and was aware of Meek’s stay in an Atlanta rehabilitation clinic, even though she said she was unaware of the trip and cited it as a violation during yesterday’s hearing. As a condition of his probation, he must receive permission for all of his travel. Tacopina said that Brinkley approved the rehab stint via e-mail, and even the district attorney confirmed her response — but she was adamant that she never got the email and didn’t know he was in Atlanta.
Tacopina is levying accusations that seriously damage Brinkley’s credibility and colors her “he does what he wants” condemnation of Meek’s conduct in a problematic light. Hopefully the appeal Tacopina is filing for Meek is seriously considered.
