Quando Rondo has been released from prison and will be spending the holidays at home – but that’s as far as he can go.
Following a five-hour-long detention hearing on Thursday (December 21), the rapper (real name Tyquian Bowman) was granted a release on an unsecured $100k bond, according to WJCL 22. He had been arrested earlier in the month and charged with conspiring with others to possess and distribute drugs including methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine and marijuana.
At the hearing, Rondo’s new lawyer argued that the government has zero evidence that the rapper ever distributed or possessed any narcotics. But prosecutors said they only had to prove that he was involved in the conspiracy to do so.
After hearing several wire-tapped calls, U.S. Magistrate Judge Christopher Ray noted that the original ruling was “remarkably close,” but ultimately decided to release him and put him on house arrest.
So long as he doesn’t violate any conditions of his bond – which include enrolling in substance abuse treatment, surrendering his passport, having his location monitored, avoiding contact with any victims, witnesses or co-defendants, not changing his phone number and more – Quando Rondo will not have to repay the $100k bond.
In a statement, the rapper’s spokesperson told WJCL 22 that they “respected, agreed and were pleased with Judge Ray’s decision and looked forward to [Rondo]’s next day in court.”
As previously reported, the 24-year-old was arrested in his hometown of Savannah on December 9 and charged with the aforementioned crimes – which carries a sentence of up to 20 years behind bars.
Quando Rondo has been charged on 14 counts in total including possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery.
He is also accused of being part of a drug trafficking ring from 2021 and is currently being held in a federal facility in Brunswick. He has yet to be granted bail.
Quando Rondo was previously arrested in June and charged with two counts of conspiracy to violate Georgia’s controlled substances law, one count of participating in criminal activity affiliated with a street gang, and one count of illegal use of a cell phone to facilitate a drug deal.