The 'Empire State of Mind' hitmaker first came into contact with Valon Vailes after the 55-year-old inmate sent him an emotional letter from prison back in February.
- Sep 30, 2021
AceShowbiz - Jay-Z is fighting for his fan's freedom. The "Empire State of Mind" hitmaker reportedly pleads with a judge to release a 55-year-old man named Valon Vailes, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for cannabis possession.
According to Page Six, Jay-Z's attorney Alex Spiro filed a second motion to free Vailes on Wednesday, September 29. In the filing, they are requesting for a "compassionate release" after the first motion, which was filed in August, got denied over the inmate's COVID-19 vaccination record.
Spiro argued, "Mr. Vailes' motion for compassionate release does not mention COVID-19 and does not rely on any COVID-19-related argument as a basis for arguing in favor of a reduced sentence."
Vailes and Jay-Z, who has his own cannabis brand called Monogram, first came in contact after the former sent the hip-hop mogul an emotional letter. "This correspondence is a plea to ask for your help with the intent to campaign for my clemency," so read the letter that was written from New York's Otisville Correctional Facility in February.
"13 and a half years is a long time to be still incarcerated over a substance that has become the ultimate green rush," the message continued. "My family needs me home... While incarcerated, I have lost loved ones... My mother passed in 2020; my grandmother in 2009; my nephew in 2020. Also, my best friend died from COVID in 2021. I have four children, the youngest is 1.4, and 3 grand-daughters."
"A lot has changed in my life, but most importantly, I have a newfound view of society," Vailes further explained. "Therefore, I pledge to my family, my children, and myself that my incarceration would not be in vain."
Vailes was convicted in December 2007. He was found guilty of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute more than one ton of marijuana from 2003 to 2007.
