Suit Claims Plies Sought Street Cred

Rapper Plies has gained notoriety and profited financially because of the suffering of victims of a 2006 Florida nightclub shooting, according to a suit filed against the star, his brother and Big Gates Records.

Five Gainesville residents were injured in the shooting and they now claim the motive “was to engage in criminal conduct for the purpose of bringing notoriety … in order to promote record sales and concert revenue.”

Their attorney, Christopher Chestnut, told the Gainesville Sun that it may be the first time such a motive has been presented in a civil suit.

“In this case, the criminal charges only enhance their credibility,” Chestnut said of the defendants. “They used the devastation [of the victims] to leverage their success.”

Chad Roberts, another attorney representing victims, said, “The irony is that when you criminally prosecute [gangta rappers] their stock goes up. … The only way to punish them is to hold the record company accountable.”

Plies, whose real name is Algernod Lanier Washington, pleaded no contest to illegal possession of a concealed weapon found after the shootings and served no prison time. His brother, Ronell Levatte, served three years in prison after pleading no contest to weapons charges.

Plies attorney Robert Rush called the suit “baseless propaganda.” He said his client didn’t have a gun and that it’s not clear who fired the shots that injured the plaintiffs.

“This is defamation of character and it is all false,” he said. “If [Plies’] music wasn’t any good, he wouldn’t have gotten anywhere. This happened four years ago, his record sales are not doing great because of this,” Rush said.