Atlanta producer Dun Deal was reportedly granted a $300,000 settlement by an Augusta, GA. Judge, for an arrest that resulted in him being jailed on false pretenses and fabricated evidence.
Many who might not know Dun Deal for his work with such artists like Gucci Mane, Future, and Drake, have at least heard his production on such tracks as Migos' "Hannah Montana" and Young Thug's "Stoner." And as is common with artists, his celebrity has drawn casual fans to his social media handles. Such was the case when at some point in the past he accepted the Facebook friend request of Ronnica Westmoreland, a woman who he did not know personally, yet assumed simply wanted to be a part of his network. Little did he realize at that point, how such a faint acquaintance with someone he had never even met, could one day lead to him being entangled in legal troubles.
In 2014 Westmoreland was identified as the party responsible for renting a getaway car that would be used in an Costco heist. Interrogations by the law enforcement officials who had detained her, led investigators on a search for a "David" among her associates. It was this "David" who would soon be targeted as the primary suspect in the case. Having failed to pin anyone they could find in her immediate circle with the same name, the FBI resorted to navigating her FB friends list. Seeing how the Costco operation involved the swiping of $80,000 worth of jewelry, and his success has earned him scores of selfies with Black men donning diamonds and gold, when they came across Dun Deal's [whose given name is David Cunningham] page, they figured him to be the culprit.
"The picture that they showed me of me was with Birdman. They asked me who that was. He was wearing a lot of diamonds and they slid me the picture, and they ask, 'Who's this? I'm like, that's Birdman!'" Cunningham said of the questioning he faced after detectives bombarded his Atlanta recording studio with tear gas and guns, and placed him in cuffs. Authorities went as far as to lie about what led them to Dun Deal, writing in the warrant on him that he was identified on surveillance video, and that they had his fingerprints.
Considering he had never been to Augusta, and that prior to the sting, he had never been arrested, the falsified evidence was going to be a hard sell in court. After serving 10 days, the charges were dropped, with those responsible for his illegal arrest having reportedly been forced to resign. The four Costco robbers would eventually be captured and plead guilty, and Westmoreland was jailed for making false statements. The fallout over the controversial arrest traveled up the ranks of Augusta's criminal justice system, with police commissioner William Fennoy himself coming before the public to express his dismay over how the investigation was conducted.
"I know that if it was me who spent 10 days in jail for something I didn't do, I would want as much money as possible," Fennoy said, prior to Dun Deal winning the lawsuit.
Source: instagram.com
