DEA Worked With Biz Markie’s Manager And Longtime Friend

The long-lasting criminal court case marks late Biz Markie’s manager and longtime friend, Lamont Wanzer, apparently cooperated with DEA several years ago concerning Richard Byrd’s drug trafficking case. In 2016, Byrd was indicted and now serves a 26-year prison sentence.

Wanzer’s role was to collect the information against Byrd. Both ran a marketing and events company BizMont. Wanzer died in November 2014 from cancer.

R.I.P TO MY BROTHER MY BEST FRIEND AND MANAGER LAMONT MONTE WANZER YOU WILL BE MISSED . . YOU ARE IN A BETTER PLACE pic.twitter.com/B0DTqsbOTu

— BIZ MARKIE (@BizMarkie) November 29, 2014

Another person in custody is Kenneth Ravenell, Byrd’s attorney. Ravenell currently faces racketeering conspiracy, money laundering, and obstruction of justice charges. The attorney allegedly also accepted up to $2 million in drug money between 2009 and 2014.

DEA collected evidence against Ravenell since the 2014 office search, finally indicting the attorney in 2019.

From Challenging The Supreme Court To DEA Searches And Money Laundering Charges

Kenneth Ravenell has been a lawyer for more than 25 years. Ravenell even challenged the Supreme Court and argued to uphold a rule, making murder defendant’s confessions insufficient evidence on trial.

Kenneth Ravenell. Image source: FOX.

The precedent was Leeander Blake’s case; the defendant confessed in murder to the detectives while in police custody. Blake allegedly admitted his guilt to the detectives after some officer ignored his written request for counsel and still interrogated the 17-year-old detainee. Considering Blake’s Miranda and Sixth Amendment rights violations, the Supreme Court eventually ruled the state of Maryland to dismiss the pre-trial charges.

Unfortunately for the defendant, the happy end never happened. Various Baltimore law enforcement authorities kept investigating the case. In 2007 Blake still got a life sentence in prison for first-degree murder and carjacking, twenty years for conspiracy to possess firearms and ten for possession and discharge of a gun.

Ravenell’s Arrest

In 2014, one of Ravenell’s clients, Richard Christopher Byrd, suggested that the attorney is in his drug-trafficking ring. The 16-page indictment shows that Byrd paid “a representative,” who in exchange “gathered information about law enforcement activities and inquiries.” Byrd requested the data to “monitor” the ongoing investigation against him.

The law enforcement searched Ravenell’s office twice and DEA collected evidence for 5 years until finally pressing conspiracy and money laundering charges in 2019.

Baltimore Drug Kingpin, A Friend Of Drake And Ye

Richard Byrd, who threw Ravenell under the bus, also did so with many other people. Before getting arrested, the nationwide operating drug kingpin distributed over 200 kilograms of cocaine and 20 tons of weed.

Ravenell first represented Byrd in the early nineties. With his attorney, Byrd also allegedly snitched on many more people, including family members, who helped with transportation.

Byrd also testified to DEA that many Hip-Hop artists and famous people from other industries had been working with him. Richard Byrd heavily participated in the club industry as a drug kingpin. People like Chris Brown, Drake, Kevin Durant, Jamie Foxx, LeBron James, and more participated at Byrd’s shows and branded events.

Byrd even worked with Ye. Unfortunately, as Byrd complains, “once he became a megastar, [Ye] became very difficult to work with.”

The case is still ongoing. While Byrd already spends his years in prison, Ravenell is only facing the court trials.

Written by Nikita Serdiuk