Buju Banton’s new attorney has asked a federal judge in Tampa to reconsider the 10-year prison sentence the Jamaican reggae singer is serving on two drug charges.
Banton, whose real name is Mark Myrie, is set to appear in Tampa federal court tomorrow for a re-sentencing on a gun possession charge. That charge carries an additional five-year prison sentence.
The motion filed last week includes a letter to US District Judge James Moody from Banton’s former attorney, David O Markus.
Markus represented Banton in the singer’s two trials in Tampa in 2010 and 2011. He says Banton is eligible for a reduced sentence of five years and a day because he’s a first-time, non-violent offender with “the support of his entire country” and a history of charitable works.