As the story goes, on July 22, 2018, rapper Tekashi 69 was reportedly kidnapped, forced into a car, assaulted, and robbed of hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of jewelry. But, according to the lawyer of the man accused of committing the crime, that may not be the whole truth.
According to Complex, Deveraux Cannick, the lawyer for Anthony “Harv” Ellison, told reporters today that the kidnapping was a publicity stunt.
“No robbery or kidnapping or assault happened,” Cannick said after a hearing at Thurgood Marshall Courthouse in New York on Friday. “It didn’t happen. He had an event that made it look like a robbery or kidnapping.”
That’s a big claim to make, but Cannick asserted that Tekashi 69 had his reasons for staging the crime. “He was about to drop an album,” the lawyer said. “He trolls every time he’s about to drop another album. Gotta get your buzz up. That’s how you make money.” Tekashi 69’s album Dummy Boy was released in November 2018, and debuted at no. 2 on the Billboard 200.
The comments came after judge Paul Engelmeyer moved the trial date for Ellison and alleged accomplice Aljermiah Mack to September 16. Tekashi 69 is expected to testify against the two men as government cooperator following his guilty plea earlier this year for racketeering charges.
