Jimmy “Henchman” Rosemond Begins Trial on Drug Charges

The trial for Czar Entertainment CEO and longtime manager of the Game, James “Jimmy Henchman” Rosemond, began in Brooklyn Federal Court with opening statements on Monday (May 14).

Rosemond is on trial on charges that he led a criminal enterprise that sold millions of dollars of cocaine, laundered money and tampered with witnesses, all according to the New York Times.

Rosemond’s lawyer, Gerald L. Shargel, painted his client as “a perfect scapegoat for accusation” yesterday.

“James Rosemond never touched a kilo of cocaine,” Shargel said, as reported by the Times. “He is not that kingpin that the government says he was.”

A 13-count indictment punched up last year, had the prosecution stating that Rosemond’s operation made over $10 million in shipping drugs since 2007.

On Monday afternoon, a special agent with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration testified that UPS shipping labels were used in August 2009 to track down several kilograms of cocaine believed to be connected to Rosemond, again according to The NY Times. The DEA agent, Carlos Giraldo, went as far as to state that the packages were wrapped in plastic bags and covered in mustard, so that drug-sniffing dogs couldn’t identify them.

Although Rosemond’s alleged drug business is the focal point of this trial, in February, federal prosecutors were trying to link Rosemond to the 2009 murder of Lowell Flecher, an associate of 50 Cent, according to The NY Times. (Rosemond hasn’t been charged in that killing).

Last year, Dexter Isaac, an inmate serving a life sentence for murder in New York, also claimed that Rosemond paid him to assault Tupac Shakur in Times Square’s Quad Studios back in 1994.

At one point during the opening statements Monday, the Times reports that Judge John Gleeson told the jury, “Like you, I don’t really know what’s coming,” hinting that the trial could take weeks before a verdict is reached.

The trial will continue Tuesday (May 15).—Jakinder Singh