A pair of public defenders from the Bronx Defenders organization recently appeared in a cop-killing rap video featuring rappers Uncle Murda and Maino. The defenders have since resigned from their posts after an investigation by the city went public last week.
Ryan Napoli and Kumar Rao, the attorneys who appeared in the “Hands Up” video both claim they were not aware of the context of the video although Napoli heard the lyrics of the track according to investigators. Rao’s resignation went public Wednesday, and he shared that it was thought the Bronx Defenders would have a right to edit the video before it went to press.
More from the New York Post:
The two public defenders who appeared in a violent rap video calling for cops to be executed have resigned and the director of their taxpayer-funded organization has been suspended without pay for 60 days, according to documents released Wednesday.
The Post reported exclusively in December that the Bronx Defenders, which has been paid more than $40 million by the city over the past two years to represent the poor, took part in the sickening “Hands Up” video.
Ryan Napoli and Kumar Rao, the two attorneys who acted in the video and arranged for it to be filmed at their Bronx Defenders headquarters, have both resigned, according to a letter sent from the organization to the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice.
Bronx Defenders executive director Robin Steinberg was suspended for 60 days without pay according to reports from CBS New York. Steinberg offered what the city report called “misleading” statements after the knowledge of Napoli and Rao’s appearance in the video.
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Photo: YouTube
