The CEO of Czar Entertainment, who once managed Akon and Brandy, is facing life in prison after convicted of 13 charges including cocaine distribution, money laundering and witness tampering.
- Jun 6, 2012
AceShowbiz - James "Jimmy Henchman" Rosemond, who was once a big-time music mogul, is convicted of 13 counts, including cocaine distribution, conspiracy, money laundering, firearms possession and witness tampering. The CEO of Czar Entertainment, who managed The Game, 50 Cent, Akon and Brandy, will be sentenced at a later date.
Rosemond's lawyer Gerald Shargel said he planned to appeal before the sentencing. "I am very disappointed by the verdict," the attorney told AllHipHop. "There were a lot of reasons to doubt the government's case." Rosemond himself reportedly appeared emotionless upon hearing the verdict in a federal court in Brooklyn.
Rosemond was arrested last summer. He was accused of running a multi-million-dollar drug-trafficking ring. The authorities claimed he transported the drugs from California to New York using boxes usually made for musical equipment. He additionally used vacuum-sealed bags and mustard to fool drug-sniffing dogs.
"Rosemond built and ran this drug trafficking organization in order to personally enrich himself and his associates," Loretta E. Lynch, the United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said of the 47-year-old. "And profit he did. The paydays are over for Jimmy Henchman."
The former hip-hop mogul entered a not-guilty plea to the accusations. "James Rosemond never touched a kilo of cocaine," his lawyer said in the courtroom. ''He is not that kingpin that the government says he was.'' The guilty verdict came after a three-week trial which began on May 15. He is now facing life in prison.
Prior to the drug charges, Rosemond was linked to the bicoastal feud that led to the murders of rappers Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace a.k.a Notorious B.I.G.. The Hip-Hop impresario was also reportedly linked to a 2009 murder of a 50 Cent associate, but no charges had been filed.
