Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory might be released from prison way sooner than expected per a new development in his case.
On Wednesday (February 28), The Detroit News reported that the Black Mafia Family co-founder could be out of prison by 2025, three years before his latest reduced sentencing of 20 years. He was initially handed a 30-year sentence back in 2008.
The former crime boss’ attorney, Brittany K. Barnett, was able to have 32 months trimmed off his punishment thanks to Amendment 821 of the United States Criminal Code, emphasized his rehabilitation after he was found guilty of large-scale drug trafficking and money laundering.
Thrilled about the update, Flenory’s son Lil Meech took to his Instagram Stories and reshared posts about the news soon after it began circulating online. Check it out below:
Lil Meech reacts to Big Meech’s sentence being shorten pic.twitter.com/rLnvLiIzub
— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) February 29, 2024
Barnett filed an early release petition on behalf of Flenory last month, claiming that he could be released earlier than initially intended per new sentencing guidelines, especially since he is no longer a threat to society.
According to court documents obtained by HipHopDX, she filed the motion with the Eastern District of Michigan in early January, demanding a “retroactive application” of sentencing guidelines.
In summary, she argued that since the ex-BMF leader has been nothing short of a model citizen while serving time — getting his GED, doing well in his other prison classes and staying out of trouble on the inside since 2021 etc. — he’s earned credit for his sentence under the U.S.S.G. (United States Sentencing Guidelines) Amendment 782, and, therefore, should be released by 2025.
The founder of the Buried Alive Project, Barnett first received national attention in 2018, when she worked with Kim Kardashian to free Alice Johnson, who was sentenced to life in prison in 1997 for cocaine trafficking even though it was her first offense. She served 21 years in prison before being freed in June 2018.
Barnett initially petitioned for clemency for Johnson during the Obama administration. However, it wasn’t until the reality television star took note of the case and brought it to the attention of her then husband Kanye West that she was ultimately granted a pardon by the Trump administration.
