Bad news for Max Biggavelli. An appeals court has upheld the murder conviction and 75-year sentence given to Max B for his role in a 2006 robbery at a Fort Lee hotel which turned deadly. Max B, real name Charly Wingate, had argued that the Bergen County Superior Court judge who tried his case had erred by not granting a request to separate it from that of his accomplice, Kelvin Leerdam.
The 34-year-old rapper was convicted in 2009 after a jury found that he had sent Leerdam, his stepbrother, and his girlfriendGina Conway to a Holiday Inn on Route 4 to rob two men,Allan Plowden and David Taylor. The robbery was botched and Leerdam ended up murdering Taylor. Max B’s sing/rap style is said to have inspired artists like French Montana, Jim Jones and Wiz Khalifa. Support for the release of Max has been strong within the Hip-Hop community, going as far as being name dropped by Jay-Z in the song “3 Kings.“
Max B will not be eligible for parole from Trenton State Prison, where he will be jailed until November 9, 2042