A Maryland woman’s bogus criminal complaint led to an arrest warrant for rapper T.I., and now state lawmakers are pushing to change the legal system that allowed it to happen.
House Bill 21, currently under review by Maryland’s House Judiciary Committee, aims to restrict the power of District Court commissioners, who can issue arrest warrants based solely on civilian complaints—without input from judges, attorneys, or prosecutors.
Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates is one of the bill’s biggest advocates.
He cited cases where wrongful arrests have caused innocent people to lose their jobs and reputations.
“Too often we see individuals that have arrest warrants put out on them for whatever reason, then they’re detained, they’re locked up, and they’re arrested,” Bates said in testimony on Jan. 28, according to Baltimore’s ABC2. “For whatever reason, they’ve lost jobs, they’ve lost time from their community.”
A prime example, Bates argued, was the case involving T.I., who became the target of an arrest warrant after Baltimore resident Crystal Gorham told a court commissioner he had assaulted her.
Gorham alleged that on June 4, 2024, “I was hit and beat up, punched, stalked and harassed” and that “Clifford pointed a gun at me.” She also accused his wife, Tameka “Tiny” Harris, of being involved.
Despite no apparent evidence linking the Hip-Hop star to the alleged crime, the commissioner approved the charges, which included assault and handgun violations, setting an arrest warrant in motion.
The Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office later reviewed T.I.’s travel records and determined he was nowhere near the city when the alleged incident occurred.
Prosecutors promptly filed a motion to recall the warrant and dismissed the case entirely.
The bill has been labeled the “T.I. bill,” because of the need to prevent similar abuses of the system.
“Rapper T.I. had an arrest warrant placed on him by a young lady who lived in Baltimore City, had never met him. And there was an arrest warrant for him,” he testified. “Fortunately for him, when he was stopped at the airport, he had lawyers who reached out to our office, and we were able to get that quashed. However, what about the average citizen?”
If House Bill 21 passes, commissioners would only be allowed to approve warrants requested by law enforcement or prosecutors, effectively ending the practice of civilians initiating arrest warrants on their own.
Additionally, the legislation would significantly increase penalties for knowingly filing false criminal complaints, raising the maximum jail time from six months to three years.