While awaiting sentencing in Bergen County Jail for murder and manslaughter charges, a spirited Max B recently phoned into G-Unit Radio on Sirius XM to speak on the status of his appeal and his lawyer.
Last week, Tony Yayo spoke to mtvnews.com about Max’s outspoken attorney Gerald Saluti, saying he might not have been the best choice to handle his case. “It’s an unfortunate thing that happened to Max B,” the G-Unit soldier said. “He just had a kid. I fuck with Max. I think he had bad representation with his lawyer. What lawyer do you know that’s gonna do a blog with you,” Yayo questioned referring to a video clip the two posted online before trial. “That’s when I think everything got messed up. That blog fucked it up. You know I’m always in trouble. When I have a case, I don’t do no press, nothing. If you don’t got a lawyer there telling you, ‘Shut the fuck up,’ you’re fucked up. The lawyer was wack. Your lawyer wants to sit there and do a blog with you? [Max's] lawyer may not have been the one to handle a homicide.”
During the course of the short interview, radio host Miss MiMi echoed Yayo’s sentiments on air, asking the Harlem MC if he will be sticking with Saluti in his appeal. “I don’t know yet,” Max said, giving a shout out to his lawyer. “We’re gonna see what’s up. I’ma keep that anonymous [for now].” [Listen below]
Despite the shaky response, Max told MiMi that he doesn’t believe it was Saluti’s fault that he lost the case. “It wasn’t the lawyer, it wasn’t the defense, it’s God’s will,” he said. “You know they got me here for a minute but I’m about to get that appeal so fast your head’s gonna turn.“
Biggavelli also took the time to promote his new projects, including his upcoming OFO mixtape with Big Mike and a free event surrounding the release. “We throwing a party on Saturday July 18 at the City College Campus,” he plugged, “[It’s] running from six to midnight [and] after that [there’s gonna] be another party.”
As XXLMag.com previously reported Max was found guilty on June 9 for his involvement in a deadly robbery in New Jersey. He faces life in prison after a jury convicted him of aggravated manslaughter, two counts of felony murder, three counts of armed robbery, and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery.
Max, who is facing life behind bars, will officially be sentenced in the case on July 31
With an inevitable long jail sentence pending next month, Harlem rapper Max B has reached out to to maintain his innocence and reveal his future music plans.
On June 9, Max B (Charly Wingate) was found guilty on 9 counts of felony murder and conspiracy charges in the robbery and death of David Taylor.
“Personally, I am looking forward to clearing my name,” Max B told in exclusive interview. “[With my pending appeal] after that I can then look forward to the future. I just can’t believe a lie would’ve went so far.”
Even though it was a street dispute that’s resulted in his predicament, Max B assured fans his lifestyle will not be altered because of the guilty verdict.
“Just staying focused. That’s the movement right now,” Max explained. “That’s the movement right now. Trying to hit the streets with that Wave, making sure my manager, The Harlem Matriarch, keeps me in the loop. That goes without saying, they can’t keep the Vel. The streets need me!”
Ex-girlfriend Gina Conway’s testimony is the main reason Max will likely receive a life sentence.
Despite this, the Harlemite remains jovial when asked how he would’ve handled the situation differently.
“No, I never anticipated that my girl would lie on me based on jealousy over another woman,” he stated. “She felt that if she couldn't have the Vel, no other girl would. I understand her strategy, but Bigavel wasn't diggin' it. If I could change one thing, I would have remained a Bachelor! (laughing).”
While everything plays out, Max B verified the new music projects fans can expect in the coming months.
“I spend every day of my life creating music, running out isn't even a possibility,” Max detailed. “Look for Vigilante Season coming soon on Amalgam Digital and Max B Presents// OFO & Harlem Matriarch Music Presents: H.O.T. (Harlem On top) Pt. 3 ‘FREE MAX B.’”
When asked about Jim Jones, Max stated their relationship remained the same, and that he is mentally ready to spend the rest of his life in prison if appeals fail.
“That's here nor there; I'm solely focused on my appeal. But ain’t sh*t changed [with Jim Jones],” Max clarified. “If it came to it [a life sentence], nothing can hold "The Bigavel" down but in this case that's not a concern.”
Max B will be sentenced by a judge on July 30.
He faces a maximum punishment of life in prison.
Conway testified in Hackensack, New Jersey Superior Court that Max, real name Charly Wingate, masterminded the September 2006 murder of David Taylor in a botched robbery.
According to Conway, the real target was Taylor’s friend, Allan Plowden, who she had begun seeing shortly after splitting with Max.
She explained to jurors that Plowden drove a $120,000 Mercedes Benz and routinely carried around cash in excess of $35,000.
The two became romantically linked, and Plowden testified that he spent lavish sums of money on Conway at high-end department stores.
When she relayed this information to Max, she claimed the rapper became very jealous and promised “he was going to get him.”
Based on Conway’s testimony, the prosecution alleges that Max B began to plot the robbery, and recruited his step-brother Kelvin Leerdam to carry out the crime.
In between sobs, Gina Conway recounted how the robbery was botched from the beginning, as she and accomplice Leerdam got lost on the cab ride to New Jersey for several hours.
A cab driver corroborated the story, stating they stopped at two different Holiday Inn locations, one in Bergen County and one in New York before locating the correct establishment in Fort Lee, New Jersey.
Upon arrival, Conway and Leerdam duct-taped Plowden at gunpoint and demanded his money.
Plowden revealed that his funds were in the possession of friend David Taylor, who was staying a few floors down.
Plowden was forced to place a call, and when Taylor arrived he was shot in the head at point blank range, stated Conway.
Plowden freed himself and gave chase, and was able to strike Conway with a punch before both perpetrators escaped in a cab.
Plowden was able to make a positive ID of Conway, who was apprehended several days later and charged with murder.
After giving a 169 page statement and cooperating with authorities, her crime was reduced to armed robbery and manslaughter.
Even with her testimony, she will still serve 18 years for her role in the crime.
When asked about Max B’s reaction to the murder, Conway claimed he expressed regret and promised to support her.
“Charly told me that if I pulled it off, then he would love me forever,” she stated. “Charly said he was sorry for what happened and that he was going to take care of me.”
Next Tuesday (May 26), lawyers for Max B and Kelvin Leerdam will cross-examine Gina Conway.
Both camps have stated that Conway, a stripper at the time, was the one who planned the fatal robbery.
Max B and Leerdam face life sentences if convicted.
Prosecutors accuse Max, real name Charly Wingate, with plotting a botched robbery that left one man dead in September 2006.
According to Assistant Bergen County Prosecutor Martin Delaney, Max B conspired with his ex-girlfriend (Gina Conway) and a stepbrother (Kelvin Leerdam) to rob two men (Allan Plowden and David Taylor) at a Holiday Inn on Route 4.
The men were allegedly targeted because they carried around large sums of cash, and drove high-end luxury cars.
The night of the homicide, authorities claim Max B, Conway, and Leerdam ambushed Allen Plowden in his hotel room, duct taping him and a female companion.
When interrogated about the location of his money, Plowden is reported to have stated his partner David Taylor, staying two floors down, had the funds.
After forcing Plowden to make a call, Taylor was lured to the room and killed instantly via a point blank shot to the face.
The prosecution’s case rests largely on the testimony of Gina Conway, who has agreed to testify against her alleged co-conspirators.
In exchange for her testimony, she will avoid a life sentence and serve 18 years on armed robbery and manslaughter charges.
Attorneys for Max B and Kelvin Leerdam will counter that Gina Conway is an unreliable witness and the sole originator of the robbery plot.
At press time, Gina Conway is expected to take the stand next week