JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Update: Two weeks after this story was published, Williams did hire private counsel to represent him in this case.
A high-profile Jacksonville rapper can’t afford an attorney, according to court filings in one of two pending criminal cases against him.
According to a court order, Noah Williams, who performs under the name Spinabenz, was “declared indigent” by a judge after providing “an affidavit of insolvency” indicating he cannot pay for legal counsel. The order says a public defender will be appointed to represent him at no cost.
Williams is headed to trial later this month on 2021 charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He was out on bond in that case until his arrest earlier this month on charges of tampering with an electronic device. Police say he removed his court-ordered ankle monitor.
Williams is represented by a former federal prosecutor out of Orlando in the firearms case. It’s not clear what changed about his financial situation since retaining that lawyer that would result in his indigence. An “application for criminal indigent status” on file in the case is blank except for Williams' name and the case number.
According to court records, Williams “promptly” bonded out following his 2021 arrest after his bail was set at $150,000. A bond requires payment of 10 percent of the bail amount, or, in this case, $15,000.
A bond motion filed by Williams’ lawyer following his original arrest said, “Mr. Williams earns a living as a rap artist/performer under the moniker ‘Spinabenz.’ He has a considerable number of fans throughout the world with 961,453 listeners on Spotify. One of his songs has been downloaded 15,939,597 times and he has a number of music videos. Mr. Williams has been in negotiations with Cinematic Records for the past few months as a result of his talents.”
The rappers most popular song is called "Who I Smoke."
Williams frequently poses for pictures and performs in rap videos holding stacks of cash.
Williams’ bond was revoked following his recent arrest on tampering charges. His birthday is Wednesday; he turns 24.
