Following his recent arrest in Florida, Lil Durk is now facing serious federal charges. The Chicago rapper, whose legal name is Durk Banks, is being held without bail at the Federal Detention Center in Miami, with an arraignment anticipated in Los Angeles at a later date. This development comes as the 32-year-old is also named in a wrongful death lawsuit from the estate of the late rapper FBG Duck, adding to his mounting legal troubles.

What Are the Charges Against Lil Durk?

Lil Durk was taken into custody on October 24 and is facing a charge of murder-for-hire. Several of his Only the Family (OTF) associates—Kavon London Grant, Deandre Dontrell Wilson, Keith Jones, David Brian Lindsey, and Asa Houston—were arrested alongside him on similar charges in California, including conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, committing murder-for-hire resulting in death, and the use of a machine gun in a violent crime.

What Are Prosecutors Alleging?

According to prosecutors, Lil Durk allegedly ordered a hit on a rival rapper in retaliation for the 2020 murder of King Von in Atlanta. The federal indictment, which does not name the rival rapper but implies it may be Quando Rondo, accuses Durk of instructing five OTF associates to carry out a fatal shooting in Los Angeles in August 2022, resulting in the death of Rondo’s cousin, Saviay’a Robinson.

The indictment further claims that Durk coordinated funds to secure ski masks, rental cars, and hotel rooms used in the attempted hit. Cellphone records reportedly show Durk texted an associate saying, “Don’t book no flights under no names involved wit me.” His credit cards allegedly linked him to flights arranged by his co-defendants.

Durk’s Attempted Escape

Prosecutors claim Durk attempted to leave the country after his associates were detained, allegedly booking a private jet to Italy. He was arrested just an hour before his flight was set to depart.

Potential Sentencing

If convicted, Durk could face a substantial prison sentence. Per the U.S. Department of Justice’s criminal resource manual, penalties for a murder-for-hire charge vary based on outcomes. A plot that results in a death carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment or potentially the death penalty, with a $250,000 fine. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California stated, “Banks and the five defendants charged in the separate indictment each would face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison.”

Law Enforcement’s Response

In a statement, LAPD Chief Dominic Choi commented on the arrest: “Cases like these that span multiple states and jurisdictions are complicated and can oftentimes only be resolved through the collaboration of multiple departments. This arrest is the culmination of the combined efforts of our partners in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, and LAPD’s Operation West Bureau Homicide detectives who discovered that Durk D a.k.a. Lil Durk was involved in this heinous murder. The hundreds of hours spent on the investigation included surveillance, authoring numerous search warrants, using forensic technology, and tireless investigative travel and collaboration alongside our federal partners led to this arrest.”

Lil Durk now awaits his court date, facing significant consequences if found guilty of these charges.