Rapper Kodak Black, legally known as Bill Kapri, will not be spending Christmas at home this year as he remains detained in a federal facility in Miami. The 26-year-old artist, hailing from Pompano Beach, has been held since last week due to a probation violation stemming from a gun-buying conviction over four years ago.
Federal Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Becerra, during a Tuesday hearing, rejected the idea of releasing Kodak Black to attend a drug treatment facility in Arizona, despite his lawyer Bradford Cohen openly acknowledging the rapper’s addiction issues. The judge expressed concerns, stating, “If you’re buying drugs or using drugs, you’re a danger to the community.” The final decision on whether Kodak Black should continue to be detained now rests with U.S. District Judge Jose Martinez.
A federal prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce Brown, argued against releasing Kodak Black for drug rehab outside the state, emphasizing uncertainties about potential outcomes. Brown stated in court, “If we let him out today to go out to Arizona, we don’t know what’s going to happen.” Kodak Black had previously been ordered by Broward Circuit Court Judge Barbara Duffy in February to spend 30 days at a rehabilitation facility after a hearing that lasted for several hours. The rapper’s court appearance was supported by a dozen backers advocating for his release.
The probation violation traces back to a 2019 case where Kodak Black pleaded guilty to providing false information on a background check form during the purchase of handguns at a Hialeah weapons store, as per federal court records. Although his 46-month prison sentence was commuted by former President Donald Trump in January 2021, Kodak Black remained on probation until January 2024.
Recent legal troubles for the rapper include an arrest two weeks ago by Plantation police, who found him asleep in a Bentley with drugs in his possession. He faces charges of cocaine possession, evidence tampering, and improper stopping, standing, or parking. Kodak Black’s extensive criminal history spans multiple states, with a notable arrest last year by Florida Highway Patrol on drug possession and trafficking charges, where 31 oxycodone tablets were allegedly discovered in his vehicle.
Expressing frustration at the time of the arrest, Kodak Black remarked on the limited visibility of his positive actions, saying, “All the good deeds I do, all the good things I do, it never goes as viral. I don’t know why [they] are so hungry to see me in jail.”