{"id":15311,"date":"2012-05-23T20:14:46","date_gmt":"2012-05-24T00:14:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/watchwomanonthewall\/?p=15311"},"modified":"2012-05-23T20:30:51","modified_gmt":"2012-05-24T00:30:51","slug":"feds-questioned-accused-cocaine-trafficker-about-sharpton-diddy-wyclef-jean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/watchwomanonthewall\/2012\/05\/feds-questioned-accused-cocaine-trafficker-about-sharpton-diddy-wyclef-jean.html","title":{"rendered":"Feds questioned accused cocaine trafficker about Sharpton, Diddy, Wyclef Jean"},"content":{"rendered":"

Agents suspected singer Wyclef of laundering narcotics proceeds<\/h2>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Accused narcotics kingpin hip-hop manager James Rosemond<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

MAY 23–When accused narcotics kingpin\/hip-hop manager James Rosemond met last year with federal investigators to try and strike a cooperation agreement, he was peppered with questions about whether he knew of any criminal activity on the part of Rev. Al Sharpton<\/strong><\/span>, Sean \u201cDiddy\u201d Combs, and Wyclef Jean, according to an Internal Revenue Service agent who testified yesterday at Rosemond\u2019s trial in Brooklyn federal court.<\/p>\n

Federal prosecutors elicited testimony from Agent Marc Van Driessche about what Rosemond said during a series of nine separate \u201cproffer sessions\u201d held in a meeting room at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center and attended by various agents, prosecutors, and Rosemond\u2019s lawyer, Gerald Shargel.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Rosemond and Wyclef Jean<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During the first session, on October 4, Rosemond was specifically asked about Combs<\/a> because, \u201cWe had information through other witnesses that the defendant may have made an admission to Sean Combs,\u201d Van Driessche testified. Rosemond, the agent recalled, said that he had some prior \u201cbusiness transactions with [Combs] in the music business,\u201d and described their relationship as \u201ccordial.\u201d<\/p>\n

The nature of the mysterious \u201cadmission\u201d reportedly made by Rosemond, 47, to Combs was not further described.<\/p>\n

Rosemond was also asked about his business relationship and financial transactions with Sharpton<\/span>. Van Driessche testified<\/span><\/a> that he had \u201cknown through my investigation that he had some type of business relationship with Al Sharpton<\/span>, and I just wanted to determine what the extent of that was.\u201d Rosemond told investigators that he \u201cdid in fact give Al Sharpton<\/span> about $10,000 as a donation or a contribution.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

When cross-examined by Shargel, Van Driessche agreed that the Sharpton<\/span> questions posed to Rosemond by federal investigators involved whether the hip-hop figure engaged in cash transactions with the activist\/MSNBC host and if he knew about Sharpton doing \u201canything wrong.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Shargel also asked the IRS agent if he knew that Rosemond \u201crepresented Reverend Sharpton<\/span> in an effort to find an outlet for his popularity and his talent, right?\u201d Van Driessche replied, \u201cI knew they had an arrangement, but I didn’t know the exact details.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong>
Al Sharpton<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Investigators then asked Rosemond about his extensive financial dealings with Jean<\/span><\/a>, Van Driessche testified. Rosemond told of loaning the singer \u201c$60,000 in cash that were drug proceeds but Wyclef didn\u2019t know it was drug proceeds.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Van Driessche explained that in the course of his investigation, \u201cI saw that the defendant had received over $800,000 in checks<\/a> from companies associated with Wyclef Jean or companies run by Wyclef Jean\u2019s tour manager.\u201d When questioned by Shargel, Van Driessche acknowledged that federal agents suspected that Jean may have been involved in laundering drug proceeds for Rosemond.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you wanted to find out if Wyclef Jean, a candidate for the presidency of Haiti, was involved in criminal activity, right?\u201d Shargel asked Van Driessche<\/a>, who answered, \u201cThat\u2019s right.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the course of the lengthy probe of Rosemond and his alleged criminal cohorts, federal agents scrutinized business and banking records for evidence of money laundering by Rosemond and Czar Entertainment, his music management company. Czar, prosecutors allege, was a front operation through which Rosemond washed millions in proceeds from the sale of thousands of kilos of cocaine.<\/p>\n

Van Driessche\u2019s testimony included no further discussion of the purpose of the $800,000 transferred to Rosemond by Jean and his tour manager, nor whether federal agents are continuing to investigate the transactions. Jean, pictured above with Rosemond, has not been charged in connection with the probe of Rosemond, who faces life in prison if convicted by the federal jury that last week began hearing testimony about his alleged cocaine distribution, witness tampering, money laundering, and obstruction of justice.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Sean \u201cDiddy\u201d Combs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At a sidebar yesterday afternoon with prosecutors and Judge John Gleeson, Shargel said that federal investigators were seeking \u201ctrophies\u201d when they quizzed Rosemond about celebrities. The attorney added that when Rosemond did not deliver these high-profile figures, prosecutors rejected his bid for a cooperation agreement (which would have spared him from the prospect of dying in prison). Government lawyers rejected this claim, saying that Rosemond was untrustworthy and lied during some proffer sessions.<\/p>\n

During one sit down with investigators, Rosemond described how he shipped cocaine and cash from New York to Los Angeles inside cases built to hold musical equipment. During this discussion, Van Driessche testified, Rosemond said that he and an associate \u201chad used music cases to ship firearms to the recording artist The Game<\/a>.\u201d Rosemond is the longtime manager of the L.A.-based rap star (real name: Jayceon Taylor).<\/p>\n

During Shargel\u2019s cross-examination of Van Driessche, the IRS agent testified that Rosemond was also questioned by prosecutor Todd Kaminsky about whether he had any information about the murders<\/a> of performers Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls. Rosemond replied that he knew nothing about the killings that shook the hip-hop industry.<\/p>\n

Prosecutors yesterday told Gleeson that they expected to wrap up their case late next week. After that, Shargel anticipates a three-day defense case with about 10 witnesses. During a sidebar, Shargel noted that he asked prosecutors not to share his witness list with the press because, “I don’t want some undue publicity,\u201d likely an indication that he plans on calling some well-known individuals to the stand. (7 pages)<\/p>\n

View Source Document<\/span> \u2192 http:\/\/www.thesmokinggun.com\/file\/rosemond-trial-transcript<\/a><\/p>\n

Read More: http:\/\/www.thesmokinggun.com\/documents\/celebrity\/feds-question-rosemond-768095<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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~\u2020~<\/p>\n

Posted by Donna Calvin \u2014 Wednesday, May 23, 2012<\/p>\n

~\u2020~<\/p>\n

Please share this Watchwoman post on your Facebook page, Linkedin, Google+1, Twitter to all your friends, Please click \u201cLike\u201d, Share, and Leave Comments.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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~\u2020~<\/p>\n

DISCLAIMER: Beliefnet puts paid advertisements on \u201cWatchwoman on the Wall\u201d blog site including some that would never be approved of by the King James Bible, Pastor Ernie Sanders of Doers of the Word Church, What\u2019s Right-What\u2019s Left Radio Ministry, the Voice of the Christian Resistance, Geauga County Right to Life and Donna Calvin.\u00a0 We at www.WRWL.org<\/a> do not condone, endorse, adhere to, practice or believe in many of the topics and some of what other bloggers promote or their religions at Beliefnet.\u00a0 However, Mrs. Calvin has no control of what Beliefnet displays.\u00a0\u00a0 She blogs at Beliefnet because she is in the missionary field ministering to true believers posting articles and commentaries informing pro-life, conservative Christians of recent anti-Christian acts and hostile legislation to God\u2019s Agenda and His Will for the world.\u00a0 Hopefully, unbelievers will read these along with the salvation message of Jesus Christ as written in the Gospel of John, Chapter 3, according to the King James Bible, and be saved.\u00a0 A missionary must go into the unbelievers\u2019 territory to reach them.\u00a0 Her mission is to Proclaim Warning to a Nation that has forgotten their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the only Truth, the Life, and the only Way to the One God the Father.<\/em>
\nRead more: http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/watchwomanonthewall\/?p=4928<\/a><\/em><\/h6>\n

~\u2020~<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Agents suspected singer Wyclef of laundering narcotics proceeds MAY 23–When accused narcotics kingpin\/hip-hop manager James Rosemond met last year with federal investigators to try and strike a cooperation agreement, he was peppered with questions about whether he knew of any criminal activity on the part of Rev. 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