Bobby Shmurda’s Lawyer Raises Questions About Involved NYPD Officers

On Monday morning, Brooklyn rapper Bobby Shmurda, whose legal name is Ackquille Pollard, returned to Manhattan Supreme criminal court—along with Chad Marshall (aka Rowdy Rebel), Santino Broderick, Alex Crandon, and Rashid Derrisant—to attend a pre-trial hearing for the 2014 conspiracy, weapons, and narcotics charges that have keept him behind bars for more than a year now.

During the hearing, Pollard’s lawyer Alex Spiro, of the law firm Branfman & Associates, requested a new bail hearing, which Judge James Burke set for Tuesday, January 19.

Spiro also took the opportunity to follow up on a handful of discovery requests previously submitted to the prosecution. Amongst them was a request for the complete record and transcripts of phone calls made to and from Rikers by individuals implicated in this case that include mention of Pollard's name to be entered into evidence.

Spiro also pressed for the compete file of incident reports regarding every one of Pollard's stops and arrests, as well as background files on the officers involved, to be put into discovery. “Absence of evidence [recovered during these stops] is evidence,” he explained, further alleging that the officers involved in the “seminal” moment of Pollard's case have “burdensome files” that may include Fourth Amendment violations, false arrests, and more.

Pollard will return to court on January 19 for a final bail hearing before his trial, which is scheduled to begin on February 22.