Prosecutors Accused of Concealing Threats Against Judge and Lawyers in Lil Durk's Trial

In a recent court filing, lawyers for Chicago rapper Lil Durk (Durk Banks) allege that they were kept in the dark for months about death threats made against the judge and lead prosecutor in his ongoing murder-for-hire case. The threats, which included explicit references to violence and arson, were reportedly made by a Durk supporter and investigated by the FBI for 7 months.

According to the filing, a Durk supporter left four voicemails for Judge Patricia Donahue in February, making "explicit death threats" related to the charges against Durk and other members of his Only the Family (OTF) crew. In April, a separate caller also allegedly phoned the case's lead prosecutor, Ian Yanniello, with more death threats, including threats against courthouse staff and other prosecutors.

Durk's lawyers argue that this prolonged nondisclosure has "irreparably compromised the structural integrity" of the proceedings, as the threats could have improperly influenced the judge's decision to deny Durk bail in May. They are now asking for the case to be dismissed or the trial to be pushed back and reassigned to a different court and prosecutor's office.

With the trial set for January, Durk's team claims this concealment has severely prejudiced the rapper's right to a fair trial. The prosecution has declined to comment on the matter, while the Los Angeles federal courthouse did not immediately respond to requests for comment.