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Federal prosecutors want Lil Durk and his lawyers silenced outside the courtroom as his murder-for-hire trial rapidly approaches.
The government filed a motion Monday asking U.S. District Judge Michael Fitzgerald to impose a limited gag order restricting public statements from Lil Durk, his attorneys and the other parties in the case.
Prosecutors claim Lil Durk’s legal team has operated a sustained media campaign that could influence potential jurors and turn the trial into what they called a “circus-like environment.”
The government said it previously asked the defense twice to accept a voluntary restriction on public comments. Lil Durk’s attorneys refused both times and formally oppose the gag-order request.
Prosecutors pointed to posts shared with Lil Durk’s nearly 15 million Instagram followers, interviews his lawyers gave and statements issued after new charges were filed in June.
One statement posted through Lil Durk’s Instagram account called the allegations “false,” accused prosecutors of “scrambling” and dismissed the new charges as “lipstick on a pig.”
The government also complained about defense attorney Drew Findling’s claim that community members and law enforcement officers have approached him saying, “Free Durk.”
Findling made additional remarks outside the Los Angeles courthouse after Fitzgerald handed Lil Durk a major victory July 14.
As AllHipHop previously reported, Fitzgerald separated newly added Chicago and Atlanta allegations from the Los Angeles murder-for-hire trial. That ruling prevented prosecutors from combining the sprawling accusations weeks before jury selection.
The government acknowledged that Findling’s courthouse comments were not necessarily prejudicial on their own. Prosecutors also said they were not accusing the defense of acting in bad faith.
However, they argued that the growing publicity and Lil Durk’s enormous online reach create an unacceptable risk as the August 20 trial approaches.
The proposed order would stop the parties and their attorneys from publicly discussing witness testimony, the strength or weakness of the case, the character or reputation of those involved and evidence that has been excluded or will likely be kept from jurors.
It would also block press conferences, press releases and interviews that could interfere with the jury’s ability to decide the case based only on evidence presented in court.
The request comes as both sides fight over what jurors will see and hear. Lil Durk recently asked Fitzgerald to suppress evidence taken from phones seized after a 2021 home invasion.
Prosecutors have separately asked to play Lil Durk’s “P##### Me Off” music video at trial, claiming that its lyrics and imagery of King Von demonstrate his alleged motive to seek revenge.
The government accuses Lil Durk, whose legal name is Durk Banks, of financing an attempt to kill rapper Quando Rondo in Los Angeles.
According to the Justice Department’s original announcement of the federal charges, gunmen tracked Quando Rondo before opening fire near the Beverly Center on August 19, 2022.
Quando Rondo survived, but his cousin Saviay’a “Lul Pab” Robinson was killed.
Prosecutors claim the attack was retaliation for the November 2020 killing of King Von, Lil Durk’s close friend and OTF artist.
Lil Durk has pleaded not guilty and remains presumed innocent. He has been jailed without bond since October 2024.
Fitzgerald has not approved the gag order. The motion is scheduled for a hearing on August 13, one week before the trial is set to begin.
