Celebrity jeweler
Jacob "The Jeweler" Arabov is lining up a star-studded list of defense
witnesses who may testify during his upcoming trial for federal money laundering.Documents
submitted to a judge in Detroit revealed that rappers like Jay-Z, Sean "Diddy"
Combs and singer Mariah Carey are some of the witnesses Arabov will call to the
stand to testify about his good character and his business scruples.Arabov
was arrested in June of 2006 and charged with helping the Black Mafia Family (BMF)
crew of drug dealers launder over $270 million in drug proceeds. Authorities
claim Arabov also failed to file the proper tax forms in a scheme to hide the
source of BMF’s drug money. He
was released on $100,000 bail and has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.Arabov’s
attorney Benjamin Brafman said that he hopes the money-laundering charge will
be dismissed before his client ever takes the stand. If
the charge stands, he will seek to move the trial from Detroit to Arabov’s home
of New York."Trying
to coordinate flying them into Detroit is a logistical nightmare that is beyond
comprehension," Brafman told The New York Post.Brafman
denied that Arabov was in on the money laundering scheme in court papers."As
far as he knew, BMF Entertainment, as well as its owners and its artists, were
up-and-coming in hip-hop," Brafman wrote to the judge.BMF
was founded by brothers Terry and Demetrius "Meech" Flenory in the mid
1980’s. In
October 2005, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) arrested over 30 members
BMF and seized over $3 million in money, assets, 2 ½ kilograms of cocaine
and weapons.Prior
to the October raids, DEA officers had seized almost 650 kilograms of cocaine
and $11 million in money and assets.
