Rapper Faces Trial in Alleged Plot Targeting Rival’s Family in Shooting Near the Beverly Center
Chicago rapper Durk Banks, known as “Lil Durk,” who is a Grammy Winner, pleaded not guilty to charges from federal prosecutors on Thursday, November 14. Banks was extradited to Los Angeles after his arrest in Miami, Florida. Banks was jailed without bond by U.S. Magistrate Judge Patricia Donahue and scheduled a detention hearing for December 12. A federal judge will be appointed to the case and will hold a status conference on November 25 and the trial is expected to begin on January 7, 2025.
Banks, 32, also known as “Blood” and “Mustafa Abdul Malak,” has been charged with multiple felonies, including conspiracy, use of interstate facilities to commit murder-for-hire resulting in death, and using and carrying firearms, including a machine gun, in a crime of violence. The new charges add to an earlier criminal complaint against him. He has been named as the lead defendant.
The indictment alleges that Banks, who formed an organization called Only the Family (OTF) in 2010 to promote hip-hop artists, engaged in violence through OTF members, including murder and assault, to maintain their status in the group. Banks and his late friend, rapper Dayvon Bennett (known as “King Von”), were allegedly involved in a feud with another rapper, identified in court documents as “T.B.,” after T.B.’s associate killed Bennett in 2020. Prosecutors say Banks later placed a bounty on T.B.’s life.
According to court documents, OTF members tracked T.B. in Los Angeles on Aug. 19, 2022, ultimately firing at least 18 shots at his vehicle at a gas station near the Beverly Center. T.B.’s relative, identified as “S.R.,” was killed in the attack. Banks allegedly financed the operation, with evidence showing OTF associates coordinating travel arrangements for the hitmen and using Banks’ funds to pay for travel and lodging.
Prosecutors say that Banks and Grant flew to California on a private jet, where Grant allegedly purchased ski masks for the hitmen and used Banks’ credit card to pay for their hotel room.
“Mr. Banks is charged with orchestrating a cold-blooded murder that resulted in the death of a rival’s family member,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada. “Not only that, the shooting occurred in the open at a gas station, endangering many others in the area.”
FBI Assistant Director Akil Davis commended the collaboration with the Los Angeles Police Department, noting, “The apprehension of Mr. Banks as he attempted to leave the United States is a testament to our commitment to bringing perpetrators of violent crime to justice.”
The five other defendants remain in federal custody in Illinois and face similar charges. If convicted, each defendant could face up to life in federal prison.
The FBI and Los Angeles Police Department led the investigation, with the case being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ian V. Yanniello, Daniel H. Weiner, and Gregory W. Staples.
