Lawyers for G-Unit rapper Tony Yayo (born Marvin Bernard) plan to file a motion for dismissal, after one of Yayo’s associates confessed to assaulting 14-year-old James Rosemond. According to an Associated Press report, Lowell “Lodi Mack” Fletcher confessed to the crime during an unrelated jail interview.
In a written statement, authorities report that “Fletcher saw a young boy [Rosemond] wearing a Czar Entertainment T-shirt. Fletcher further stated that he slapped the boy across the face and began to grab the boy’s shirt. At this point Marvin Bernard [Yayo] exited the vehicle, tried to restrain him [Fletcher] and get him back in the vehicle.”
In March of 2007 Yayo was charged with assault and endangering the welfare of a child, after Rosemond accused him of slapping and punching him. According to the misdemeanor complaint Yayo allegedly spotted Rosemond near a building at Sixth Avenue and 25th Street and hit Rosemond with his hand “causing his face to strike the door of a building.” The case gained national attention due to the fact that Rosemond’s father, Jimmy, manages ex G-Unit member and rival artist The Game under Czar Entertainment.
Tony Yayo maintained his innocence from the outset, and has remained free on $5,000 bail. In June of 2007 the rapper also rejected a plea deal that would have called for him to serve nine months of jail time in exchange for pleading guilty to the crime. Authorities are now likely to shift their attention to Fletcher, who confessed to the assault while serving a two-and-a-half-year sentence for drug possession.
Fletcher’s lawyer, Robert Macedonio, says the statement was taken “in violation of [Fletcher’s] constitutional rights,” since police questioned him without a lawyer present. According to a recent MTV News report [available HERE], Yayo’s lawyer, Scott Leemon says Fletcher’s confession came after being interviewed by the New York Police Department’s “Hip Hop Squad.” However, other than the motion for dismissal filed by Yayo’s legal team, no further action has been taken. Since the initial incident, both the houses of Tony Yayo’s mother and road manager have been shot at.
