The credibility of the officer who arrested Meek Mill in 2007 has taken another hit with the release of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office's "Do Not Call" list.
Rumors have been circulating for weeks that officer Reginald Graham was on the DA's "secret list" of suspect cops who shouldn't be called on to testify in court cases because they have a history of dishonest behavior or racial bias. On Tuesday, that list was finally made public, and Graham's name was included.
The list says that Graham was "investigated by federal authorities for several alleged acts of corruption" due to misconduct that took place on November 1, 2013.
Mill's lawyer Joe Tacopina released a statement Tuesday and explained that the list will help Mill's legal battle. Tacopina said, "The release of the so-called 'Do Not Testify' list—which includes Mill’s arresting officer, Reginald Graham—supports everything in the motions filed by Mill and others wrongfully arrested by Officer Graham for post-conviction relief. We are hopeful that this is the final step in the process to get Mill and the other defendants released on bail and to have their convictions overturned."
If Graham has a documented past of corruption, his testimony as the sole witness in Meek Mill's 2008 trial is even more shaky than previously thought. Philadelphia Police Officer Jerold Gibson has provided a sworn affidavit to Licensed Private Investigator Cliff Goldsmith that says Graham's testimony doesn't reflect what actually took place that day.
Gibson says that Mill never pointed a gun at Graham or anyone else and that the officer only brought that detail up once he was in custody. Gibson also says that Mill took his gun out of his waistband to discard it, which means the officers never yelled at him to "drop the gun." Gibson states that Graham never took cover behind a parked van and explains that Mill never tried to escape.
In response to the news that Graham was on the rumored list, Mill's attorney told Complex in February that all legal actions will be pursued. "Across the justice system, there are many instances of people that are incarcerated being subsequently let out when police corruption is uncovered," Joe Tacopina said. "This would certainly be one of those instances. I mean, there were 800 cases that were dismissed or overturned upon discovery of this group of officers who had been committing crimes, lying about circumstances of arrests, and falsifying documents. One of the officers is the same one who not only arrested Meek, but made allegations that Meek has always denied. This is the only one that testified against Meek."
According to Tacopina, Meek was not surprised by the news. "He's always maintained that he never possessed any drugs and that he never pointed a gun at any police officers," Tacopina explained. Could this finally be the development that frees Meek Mill? Fingers crossed.
