Rapper Dark Lo Arrested For Federal Witness Tampering — What We Know
He got in trouble for just sitting in a courtroom.
Instagram Philadelphia area rapper Dark Lo is in trouble after showing up at a trial for his friend AR-Ab. He claims he was just there to show support for a friend facing federal drug trafficking charges but a witness for the prosecution said he was too scared of Dark Lo to testify while he was in the room.
The rapper says he was asked to leave the trial by federal authorities and he complied with their request. The rapper isn't implicated in the drug charges and there was no reason he needed to be present. But when he got home, he was met with a search warrant and told he was under suspicion of federal witness tampering, a crime that can lead to up to 20 years in prison. He was arrested after the search of his house and he still hasn't been released, almost a week later.
Who is Dark Lo and why is he under arrest? Read on for all the details.
1. Who is Dark Lo?
Dark Lo, whose given name is Charles Salley, is a Philly area rapper and according to his Spotify bio, he spent much of his young life in and out of prison. He has been a part of OHB, which started out as a rap supergroup and ended up as a record label. He partnered with fellow Philadelphian AR-Ab, whom he credits with encouraging him to go into music, and the two remain good friends. Dark Lo has released a number of albums including The Crook, SK Tales, and Timeless.
His most recent album is called American Made.
2. Who is AR-Ab?
It's hard to understand what's going on with Dark Lo right now without also knowing about AR-Ab. Abdul West, whose stage name is AR-Ab, and Dark Lo started making music together in 2010 but before that, AR-Ab faced multiple legal problems. He was arrested numerous times on drug charges and did prison time related to a 2005 homicide. He also survived being shot 10 times in an incident in 2011.
3. Most recent legal issue
AR-Ab was arrested in 2018 on a serious set of federal drug charges, including "conspiracy to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine, 280 grams or more of crack, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and 100 grams or more of heroin. The superseding indictment also includes individual charges of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, crack, and heroin; distribution of methamphetamine; and a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm," according to the Department of Justice.
Eight other men were arrested in connection to the crimes and the Department of Justice charges that AR-Ab was the leader of a gang of drug distributors working out of Philly, where they were "bringing in drugs from California and elsewhere to distribute locally, and obtaining high-end rental properties in Philadelphia through false identities to prevent detection and protect their drug supply." When authorities served one location with a search warrant, they found 62 grams of crack, 229 grams of heroin, and 48 grams of methamphetamine, as well as $8,000 in cash and a handgun.
At a second location, police found 10 kilograms of cocaine and nearly 6 pounds of methamphetamine, along with $20,000 in cash. AR-Ab has been in jail since his arrest.
4. Supporting his friend at trial
Dark Lo attended a few days of the trial, which was seen as supportive to AR-Ab and threatening to another witness. According to a statement the rapper released on social media, "After three days of being in the courtroom to support his best friend, fellow rapper AR-AB, Dark Lo was approached by Federal Agents and told a government witness did not feel comfortable testifying with him in the courtroom. Federal Agents then instructed Dark Lo to leave the courthouse until the witness finished testimony."
The encounter didn't end there. When Dark Lo returned home, officials were waiting for him. "Upon arriving home, Dark Lo was met by Federal Agents who presented a search warrant looking for any correspondence and communication Dark Lo may have had with the government witness prior to his testimony," the statement continued. "Dark Lo was subsequently taken into federal custody shortly after the search warrant was executed."
5. Still in jail
There hasn't been any information released on what the police might have found in the search of Dark Lo's house but he is still in custody on federal witness tampering charges. He was originally arrested on November 7.
6. Looking for resolution
It's not entirely clear what is going to happen next on this case but Dark Lo's reps are convinced there will be a satisfactory outcome. The statement on his Instagram page says, "We are confident that Dark Lo will be exonerated of all the charges levied against him and he appreciates all of the prayers and support he has received during this very trying time."
The has been no word on when he might be released.
Rebekah Kuschmider has been writing about celebrities, pop culture, entertainment, and politics since 2010. Her work has been seen at Ravishly, Babble, Scary Mommy, The Mid, Redbook online, and The Broad Side. She is the creator of the blog Stay at Home Pundit and she is a cohost of the weekly podcast The More Perfect Union.