The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
A gang member in Florida is facing charges after the authorities heard one of his songs on YouTube and asserted that some of the lyrics were breaking the electronic communications law.
26-year-old Tito Burney is From St. Petersburg. It is reported that he is a member of a local gang called Auburn Park.
According to reports, Burney has a YouTube channel with three homemade rap videos posted on it.
In one of the videos, a man wearing a ski mask standing outside of a market performed a song containing lyrics that were believed to be meant to threaten others with harm.
When the police watched the music video, they identified the man as Burney. They reported that some of the lyrics, such as “load up them semi’s let them bullets fly,” were included as specific threats.
The authorities believed that the lyrics in the song were intended as a warning that Burney would shoot those who picked a fight with the members of Auburn Park. According to the authorities, Burney rapped about how the potential offenders would be shot with a semiautomatic rifle and a Tech 9 machine gun in drive-by shootings.
On the evening of August 2, officers with the St. Petersburg Police Department took Burney into custody. When they searched his person, the police reported that Burney had a stolen Beretta handgun.
He was booked into the Pinellas County Jail. According to records, Burney is facing charges of felony criminal gang electronic communication, two counts of felonious possession of a firearm, and one felony count of grand theft firearm.
At the time that this blog was written, Burney was still incarcerated in lieu of an $80,000 bond.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a criminal offense, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.