Crime and Punishment

Sneaker Reseller Zadeh Kicks Facing 30 Years In Prison For Ponzi Scheme

HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Jordan Brand / Jordan Brand This past June, infamous sneaker reseller,Michael Malekzadeh a.k.a Zadeh Kicks sent shockwaves through the sneaker community when he dissolved his Zadeh Kicks LLC and made off with millions of dollars of sneaker pre-order money leaving many customers thousands of dollars poorer. Now Bloomberg is reporting on how Malekzadeh was able to swindle countless people out of tens of thousands of dollars in one fell swoop, and in the process earning himself federal charges such as wire fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and money laundering. Referring to him as the “Bernie Madoff of sneakers,” Zadeh would sell highly-sought after Air Jordans, Nikes, and Yeezy’s at below market price months before their scheduled release dates an...

Rap Snitches: Congress To Review RAP Act Barring Use of Lyrics In Court

HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Fulton County PD / Fulton County Sheriff’s Department The movement to prohibit the usage of rap lyrics in criminal cases by prosecutors has now reached the federal level, as a new bill with that aim has been introduced in the United States Congress. On Wednesday (July 27th), the RAP Act was introduced on the floor of the House of Representatives by Democratic Representatives Hank Johnson (GA-04) and Jamaal Bowman (NY-16). The Restoring Artistic Protection Act looks to protect artists from the wrongful usage of their lyrics against them in civil and criminal court cases. Representative Johnson shared the news through his Twitter account. “Freedom of speech is the constitutional foundation the framers thought necessary to enable a new and free soc...

Respect The Jux: Brooklyn Bishop Robbed Of His Jewelry During Sunday Sermon Live-Stream

HipHopWired Featured Video Source: YouTube / Youtube In 2022 the wolves don’t care if you’re a rapper, entertainer, or even a man of God—if you’re sporting icey jewelry, you’re going to get got. According to the New York Times, Bishop Lamor M. Whitehead was robbed at gunpoint yesterday (July 24) while delivering his Sunday sermon, which was also being live-streamed to his congregation. The jux went down at a church in Brooklyn as Mr. Whitehead was on stage preaching the gospel when three masked men barged into the service and went to work. In the video of the live-stream you can see the Bishop noticing the men walking in looking for trouble as he immediately threw his hands up and laid down on the floor. The stick-up kids proceeded to relieve Mr. Whitehead and his wife of gold chains, his ...

Marlo Hampton & Future’s Ex Among Victims of Atlanta Home Invasions

HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Prince Williams / Getty In a recent interview, Marlo Hampton of Real Housewives of Atlanta fame shared that she was among the victims of a string of home invasions in the affluent Atlanta suburb Sandy Springs. Hampton told WSB-TV that she and her two teenage nephews were home when armed, masked men kicked in her door. “When I heard the boom, when I heard my nephew scream — and I knew that scream was a scream of fear — my heart dropped,” Hampton said.  The reality star, who shares a child with rapper Future, is one of several celebrities who were targeted in the home invasions according to the local reporting.  WSB notes that four suspected gang members have been taken into custody in connection to at least 15 home invasions in the past year.&nbs...

Mother Of Miles Bridges’ Children Posts Disturbing Images Of Alleged Domestic Violence Injuries

HipHopWired Featured Video CLOSE Source: Todd Kirkland / Getty Miles Bridges, one of the young stars of the Charlotte Hornets, found himself on the wrong side of the law after being arrested for a domestic violence incident. Now, the mother of Bridges’ children has come forth with disturbing images revealing the extent of damage from the alleged event. Miles Bridges Allegedly Hit Mychelle Johnson In Front Of Their Children Miles Bridges, 24, was the center of attention after he was arrested this past Wednesday in Los Angeles. Bridges was then booked and subsequently released, resurfacing on Thursday (June 30) with a video showing him working out on the court in the midst of the NBA free agency frenzy. Mychelle Johnson, who Bridges shares two children with and is reportedly his wife, posted...

NYPD Seized 250 Pounds Of Drugs From Bronx Apartment, Valued at $24M

HipHopWired Featured Video Source: @snpnyc / NYC Special Narcotics Prosecutor Sorry stressed out New Yorkers but the streets ’bout to get a tad bit dry as police done confiscated a whole lotta work out in the Bronx. According to the Gothamist, the NYPD raided an apartment in the Bronx and came away with roughly 250 pounds of drugs with an estimated street value of $24 million dollars. Prosecutors say that the raid turned up 110 kilograms of heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine. On top of all of that they also retrieved 50 pounds of what they believe is crystal meth along with tens of thousands of counterfeit pills. Authorities believe the drugs were meant to be distributed throughout the city (duh). Related Stories “It appears that this apartment served as the Amazon warehouse for lethal dru...

Ghislaine Maxwell Sentenced To 20 Years For Being Jeffery Epstein An Accomplice, Twitter Wants The Client List

HipHopWired Featured Video Source: New York Daily News / Getty Three years ago billionaire Jeffrey Epstein took his own life, likely because he couldn’t take being outed and imprisoned for being a sex trafficker and serial sex abuser of minors. In December, his girlfriend and accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, was convicted of recruiting, enticing and transporting minors to engage in illegal sex acts with Epstein, and, on Tuesday, the 60-year-old was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Besides the lengthy and well-deserved sentence, Maxwell was also ordered to pay a $750,000 fine for her role in Epstein’s crimes, according to Raw Story. “To you, all the victims, I am sorry for the pain that you experienced,” Maxwell said in court after listening to numerous victim impact statements. “It is my sin...

Stole ‘Em: LaserShip Warehouse Manager Arrested For Pilfering Sneakers

HipHopWired Featured Video Source: WSOC-TV / WSOC-TV For some time, sneakerheads have been voicing complaints about coveted sneakers they ordered getting “lost” while in the hands of LaserShip. They weren’t kidding, as a LaserShip warehouse manager has been arrested for allegedly stealing kicks. Apparently, enough people complaining about LaserShip pulling the jig that a reporter from WSOC-TV, Jason Stoogenke, began investigating. The receipts started adding up—kicks were getting pilfered, and a culprit was identified. Related Stories Stoogenke delved deeper into the complaints against LaserShip and started noticing a pattern. Sneakers were going missing after purchasers were told they were shipped, and they tended to be Nikes. Over 40 people told Stoogenke about the struggle, and 28 of th...

Trapped In The Cooler: R. Kelly Should Get Over 25 Years In Prison, Says The Feds

HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Chicago Tribune / Getty Disgraced and dastardly R&B crooner R. Kelly is looking at serious times. Federal prosecutors are going to request that the “I Believe I Can Fly” singer, and convicted sexual predator, be sentenced to over 25 years in prison. Mind you, that 25 is just for one of his cases. Reports TMZ: Federal prosecutors out of the Eastern District of NY — who won a conviction against Kelly last September — just filed their recommendation for his sentencing, and they believe there’s more than enough reason to send him away for “in excess of 25 years.” Related Stories In the docs, obtained by TMZ, the feds say Kelly’s particularly menacing because of his history of enticing minors. Prosecutors hold up the case of his relationship with ...

Man Suspected Of Killing Atlanta Rapper Trouble Surrenders To Authorities

HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Paras Griffin / Getty A breakthrough has been made in the shooting death of Atlanta rapper Trouble after the suspect turned himself in. A warrant for the man’s arrest went out shortly after it was revealed that the artist also known as Skoob was killed during a home invasion. Jamichael Jones Is Suspected Of Killing Atlanta Rapper Trouble As reported by local outlet 11 Alive, Jamichael Jones, 33, was taken in early Tuesday (June 7) morning at a hospital in Clayton County according to the outlet’s account. Investigators closed in on Jones after searching locations he was last seen and they eventually descended upon his mother’s home. It was then that they negotiated a time for Jones to turn himself in. The Rockdale County Sheriff’s OFfice credited Jones’ mo...

Restaurant Deliveryman Stalked & Killed After Dispute Over Duck Sauce

HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Spencer Platt / Getty While mass shootings continue to plague America thanks to a certain political party’s reluctance to enact common sense gun laws, regular gun violence has also been problematic across the board, especially in New York City. According to The New York Times, the latest (and weirdest) arrest due to a gun-related homicide went down this week when police arrested 51-year-old Glenn Hirsch for the cold-blooded murder of a food deliveryman, Zhiwen Yan, back in April. The reason? Duck sauce. We’re not even joking. Last April, Hirsch followed Yan as he left the Great Wall restaurant he worked for to make his deliveries. Angry about not getting a refund he requested months earlier for not getting enough duck sauce with his order, Hirsch waited u...

Jig’s Up: Shoplifting Ring In NYC Is Charged With Stealing Over $4 Million In Goods

HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Pacific Press / Getty Retail chains in the Big Apple apparently need to step their security up. A shoplifting ring is accused with taking almost $4 million dollars worth of merchandise. As per Gothamist a crew of over 40 individuals are being investigated for organizing a thievery cartel. On Thursday, May 26 New York Attorney General Letitia James and New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the takedown of a massive retail theft operation in New York City that stole and resold millions of dollars in goods. As outlined in the indictment unsealed that day, 41 people were charged for their roles in this crime ring that stole luxury clothing and goods and thousands of items from drug stores that were then resold on eBay. Related Stories During the three...