Lil Durk is pushing back against the latest federal charges filed against him, arguing they should not be included in his upcoming trial.
On Friday (June 26), the rapper’s legal team filed a motion asking the court to separate the newest counts in the latest indictment from the existing case—or, alternatively, dismiss the latest indictment altogether. Prosecutors accuse Durk of orchestrating a murder-for-hire plot targeting rival rapper Quando Rondo, an incident that allegedly resulted in the death of Quando’s cousin, Saviay’a Robinson.
The newest indictment, the third filed since Durk’s October 2024 arrest, was submitted on June 3. It added racketeering charges, introducing new allegations that include previously uncharged acts of violence.
A redacted version of the motion, made public on Tuesday (June 30), explains why Durk’s attorneys want the new counts tried separately. They argue that the additional racketeering allegations come with a significant amount of new evidence, making it impossible to properly prepare before the trial, which is scheduled to begin on August 20. According to the defense, delaying the trial to review the material would violate Durk’s constitutional right to a speedy trial.
“Because the last-minute addition of the VICAR [Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering] Counts imperils Mr. Banks’ Constitutionally-guaranteed right to a speedy trial, this Court should sever those counts from the Los Angeles Counts, and allow him the prompt trial he has consistently demanded,” the motion states. “The government’s delay in bringing additional charges and producing evidence in support of those charges is unjustifiable. Any further continuance would be of the government’s sole creation and would warrant dismissal of the Third Superseding Indictment.”
Durk’s attorneys also argue that prosecutors had access to most—if not all—of the evidence supporting the racketeering charges months earlier, questioning why the new indictment wasn’t filed until early June. They note that some of the related evidence wasn’t turned over to the defense until June 23.
“The defense is now in a position where it has to review, digest, investigate, and be prepared to rebut terabytes of new data, just two months out from trial on a charge carrying a life sentence. It is untenable,” the motion continues.
The defense has asked for a hearing on July 27 before U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald to argue its request.
After prosecutors announced the superseding indictment in early June, Durk’s legal team strongly criticized the new charges.
“This indictment is lipstick on a pig,” attorneys for the Deep Thoughts artist said in a statement shared with Complex on June 4. “For nearly two years now, federal prosecutors have desperately tried to fend off challenges to a very weak case. Now, just two months before trial—a trial that Durk Banks has demanded at every turn—they pull this pathetic pivot, recycling old accusations into a scrambling prosecutor’s back-up plan: allege racketeering and as many unrelated false claims as possible.”
The statement concluded: “This is not a sign of strength. It’s an acknowledgment of weakness. The fact remains: Durk Banks is innocent, no matter how many indictments they want to throw at him.”
