Chicago rapper Lil Durk arrested in Florida on murder-for-hire charges
Lil Durk tied to attempted murder of rapper Quando Rondo, who was allegedly connected to King Von's death
CHICAGO -- Chicago-born rapper Lil Durk has been arrested in South Florida in a murder-for-hire plot, according to the Broward County Sheriff's Office.
Lil Durk, whose real name is Durk Devontay Banks, is being held by the U.S. Marshals Service, records show.
Banks is accused of being the leader of a Chicago-based rap collective -- called Only the Family -- that acts as a group of individuals who engage in violence, including murder and assault, at the direction of Banks, according to a federal criminal complaint filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
He is accused of placing a "monetary bounty out for an individual with whom Banks was feuding," according to the complaint.
SEE ALSO: Lawsuit alleges Chicago rapper Lil Durk's involvement in shooting that killed FBG Duck
On Aug. 19, 2022, multiple OTF members allegedly used two vehicles and worked together to "track, stalk and attempt to murder T.B. at a gas station located in Los Angeles," according to the complaint.
"The co-conspirators fired at least 18 rounds at T.B.'s vehicle, striking and killing S.R. --- T.B.'s family member who was traveling with T.B.," the complaint said.
The charges are connected to the attempted 2022 revenge killing of rapper Quando Rondo at a Los Angeles gas station, a shooting that resulted in the death of Rondo's cousin.
Banks is charged with conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire in the slaying of Saviay'a Robinson, 24, who was gunned down on Aug. 19, 2022, according to an FBI affidavit released Friday.
Banks is one of five co-conspirators charged in the incident, with crimes including murder, murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire resulting in death, according to the complaint.
Five people allegedly were paid to travel from Chicago to Los Angeles to commit the murder, the federal complaint said. All five people have been arrested and search warrants were executed at locations associated with the OTF members.
At least two more arrests may be forthcoming, according to court documents that have been filed.
According to FBI Agent Sarah Corcoran's affidavit and other federal court records, the shooting stems from the November 2020 slaying of OTF rapper King Von, 26, at an Atlanta nightclub after Von and Rondo got into a fight. Records say a friend of Rondo's pulled a gun and shot Von several times, killing him. Von, whose real name was Dayvon Bennett, had two hit singles, Crazy Story and "Took Her to the O."
Authorities say Banks made it known that he would "pay a bounty" to anyone who killed Rondo, whose real name is Tyquian Bowman.
Almost two years later, a murder plot quickly came together, Corcoran wrote.
On Aug. 18, 2022, Banks' associates learned that Rondo was staying at a Los Angeles hotel. That day, Deandre Wilson, Keith Jones, David Lindsey, Asa Houston and a fifth unnamed suspect flew from Chicago to San Diego and then drove to Los Angeles using funds provided by Banks, Corcoran said.
That day, Banks allegedly texted an associate arranging the flights, "Don't book no flights under no names involved wit me." Corcoran said there is video evidence that Banks was staying at a house in the San Fernando Valley that day.
Once arriving in Los Angeles, the OTF members met Kayon Grant, who had flown there on a private jet. Grant, a top OTF associate, got the men hotel rooms, purchased them four ski masks and obtained two luxury sedans, court records say. Grant allegedly gave Jones, Lindsey and a third unnamed suspect guns, including one that had been converted into a fully automatic machine gun.
The next day, the group allegedly followed Rondo and Robinson as they drove a Cadillac Escalade to a Los Angeles marijuana dispensary, a West Hollywood clothing store and then a gas station across the street from the Beverly Center.
There, Houston parked his car behind the station so Jones, Lindsey and the unnamed defendant could ambush Rondo. They got out and opened fire, killing Robinson, who was standing outside the Escalade, but missing Rondo, the indictment and news stories about the shooting say.
The suspects then went to an In-N-Out hamburger stand where they discussed payment with Grant and then flew home to Chicago from San Diego, Corcoran and other documents say. Wilson allegedly later paid Jones and Lindsey an undisclosed amount.
Grant, Jones. Lindsey, Wilson and Houston were arrested Thursday in Chicago on conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire charges. No attorney information was immediately available for those men in court records.
After their arrests, Corcoran wrote, Banks booked two flights from South Florida airports - one to Dubai and one to Switzerland. He then booked a private flight to Italy, but was arrested in Miami before he could board that flight.
Banks made his first appearance Friday afternoon at C. Clyde Atkins U.S. Courthouse in Miami. Banks' lawyer, Alek Ubieta, asked for privacy after leaving court, telling Miami ABC affiliate WPLG, "We will not be commenting at this time."
ABC News has also reached out to Ubieta.
Banks' family was also seen leaving court Friday.
"We knew when the others were charged that it was a conspiracy with multiple players in it, but the fact that he's now being charged in such close proximity to those other charges suggests that this is related to them, and the conspiracy is even wider than originally presented," legal analyst Gil Soffer said.
As prosecutors move forward with the case, members of the OTF group will likely be used to try and turn a conviction.
"They will certainly be looking to flip someone who's in on the conspiracy, and use that testimony against other defendants, maybe there's a wire tap here. There may be undercover reporting. All those pieces will come together to make the case against the defendants," Soffer said.
Banks' arrest comes just weeks after he was named in a lawsuit, which alleges the rapper had a hand in the 2020 gang-related deadly shooting of Chicago rapper FBG Duck, born Carlton Weekly.
Duck was killed in the Gold Coast neighborhood by a group of masked men as he waited to enter a high-end store.
Six purported gang members were convicted of carrying out Weekly's murder.
Weekly's mother spoke with ABC7's Karen Jordan after filing the lawsuit.
"Not a day goes by that I don't think about him and the life that was taken from him." LaSheena Weekly, FBG Duck's mother, said.
Lil Durk and his team did not comment on that lawsuit.
The village of Broadview, Illinois withdrew its key to the city from Lil Durk Friday.
"While the American system of justice grants everyone the presumption of innocence until proven guilty in a court of law, in the Village of Broadview, the court of public opinion of residents has even higher moral and ethical standards of behavior. And our public partners must also reflect the same uncompromising standards demanded by our residents. Given the news that Durk 'Lil Durk' Banks has been arrested in Florida and charged with murder for hire, the Village of Broadview is withdrawing our honorary 'key to the village' granted to Durk and is terminating our partnership agreement with his youth organization, Neighborhood Heroes Foundation. As mayor, protecting Broadview's interests and upholding the values of residents is job number one," Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson said in a statement.
The Chicago rapper, 32, won a Grammy earlier this year for best melodic rap performance for "All My Life" featuring J. Cole. His albums "The Voice," released in 2020, and "7220," released in 2022, both went platinum. His newest album was scheduled to be released next month.
Lil Durk is among the industry's most popular drill rap artists, a controversial hip-hop subgenre that started in Chicago and was popularized by rappers like Durk and Chief Keef, Fredo Santana and G Herbo. It is known for its often-violent lyrics and connection to Chicago's gang culture.
If convicted of the crimes, Banks could face life in prison.
"The sentence is really steep ... it could even be death penalty if there are sufficient aggravating circumstances," Soffer said.
The Associated Press and ABC News contributed to this report.
