Kodak Black asked a court to end his probation over a year after Donald Trump pardoned the rapper.
According to court documents obtained by AllHipHop, Kodak Black’s lawyer Bradford Cohen filed a motion for early termination of his client’s supervised release. The attorney claimed his client’s experience with the justice system “changed him profoundly.”
The Atlantic Records artist remains on probation after serving approximately 21 months in prison for falsifying information on federal forms to buy firearms. Trump commuted Kodak Black’s sentence in January 2021 but left the supervised release term intact.
“Defendant’s performance during the past fourteen (14) months of his supervised release fits the objectives and criteria for early termination such as: stable community reintegration (residence, family, employment), progressive strides toward supervision objections, and no identifiable risk to the safety of any victim or the public,” Cohen wrote in his filing. “The interests of justice would be well served by an early termination of Defendant’s supervised release and would allow for the resources dedicated to Defendant’s supervision to be conserved and allocated to the supervision of others more in need of close oversight.”
Kodak Black, whose government name is Bill Kapri, intends to move from South Florida once he’s off probation. His lawyer believes relocation will help his client avoid more trouble with the law.
“[He] wishes to move out of the area he is in,” Cohen explained. “Defendant wants a fresh start to remove himself from situations and outside influences that may affect his recovery and freedoms.”
Cohen continued, “From early childhood through his adult life and career, Defendant has been surrounded by individuals who were avid drug-users and exposed to criminal behavior often accompanying drug use. He has made great strides to stay away from those bad influences. Even now he continues with private after care treatment to ensure he doesn’t fall into the depth of addiction again.”
Kodak Black violated his probation when he tested positive for drugs in October 2021. He dodged additional time behind bars by completing 90 days of in-patient intensive treatment. Cohen says his client maintains a “sober buddy” in an effort to prevent any relapses.
In the motion, Kodak Black’s lawyer cited his client’s personal growth as a reason to end the supervised release. Cohen noted the controversial rapper earned his GED and obtained a boating license. His client is also exploring the possibility of going to college.
“Defendant has publicly expressed his desire to complete a higher education program,” Cohen wrote. “In pursuit of this goal, he has applied, set up an online account, and has been in contact with the University of Arizona. They are awaiting Defendant’s transcripts from when he obtained his GED and it is believed that Defendant would be eligible to attend classes once the transcripts are received. Defendant also successfully completed a Florida Boating Safety Course, for which he was issued a certificate for on April 8, 2021 and found property in Arizona that he would like to purchase to support a permanent move to the area.”
Kodak Black will now play the waiting game to see if the court grants his request.