U.S. Government Responds to Banton’s Motion for Acquittal

By the Caribbean Journal Staff

Following reggae singer Buju Banton’s recent motion for a judgment of acquittal and for a new trial, the U.S. attorneys prosecuting the case have responded, arguing that Banton has presented “no reason why [the] court’s earlier rulings….should be disturbed.” For Assistant U.S. Attorney James Preston, Jr., the question was “whether reasonable minds could have found guilt beyond a reasonable doubt,  not whether reasonable minds must have found guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.” According to the motion, the evidence established that Banton knowingly joined the “unlawful agreement” for several discrete reasons, and there was nothing to suggest a lack of suitable evidence. “The verdicts rendered by the jury in this case were reasonable, and the evidence does not heavily preponderate against them,” Preston said. Banton’s sentencing hearing is set for June 23, 2011 at 9:00 A.M.

See the full motion here