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Rapper Lil Reese Charged With Theft

By Emily Morris | June 23, 2013 3:51pm | Updated on June 23, 2013 4:57pm
 Rapper Lil Reese was back in court Sunday, this time charged with misdemeanor theft.
Lil Reese's legal woes
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COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — Lil Reese has rapped about a Nissan Maxima, but its his fondness for BMWs that has gotten him in trouble.

Lil Reese, who real name is Tavares Taylor, was charged with misdemeanor theft and appeared in court on Sunday.

Lil Reese presented "false documentation" to obtain a 2006 BMW in April, according to police documents. A 44-year-old man, described as the victim in the incident, "never gave consent or permission to register the vehicle in his name," according to the documents. The theft happened in the 6600 block of South Wentworth Avenue, according to court documents.

It's unclear what kind of false documentation was presented, or how that led to the rapper obtaining the car. Prosecutors from the State's Attorney's Office did not offer further details on the charge.

The South Side rapper was arrested by police on Saturday afternoon in the 10100 block of South Halsted Street in Washington Heights, according to police documents.

Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr. set bail for Lil Reese at $5,000.

On April 13, the same day the car transaction allegedly happened, Lil Reese was arrested and charged with driving without a license and insurance, according to court documents. It is unclear if the incidents are related.

The rapper is signed to label Def Jam Recordings, which has also has artists such as 2 Chainz, Kanye West and Rihanna, among others on its roster. Def Jam could not immediately be reached for comment.

He and friends Chief Keef and Lil Durk, fellow South Side rappers who have also appeared in music videos together, have had a heap of recent legal woes.

Lil Reese was arrested in April and charged in connection with a YouTube video that downstate police said showed him beating a woman in her Champaign apartment in February 2012.

Chief Keef, given name Keith Cozart, had a tough day last Monday when the 17-year-old pleaded guilty to speeding 110 mph on the Edens Expressway, was reportedly served with a paternity suit and was slapped with a misdemeanor charge of trespass.

He had also been arrested in May after cops found him smoking weed in an upscale Atlanta hotel, police said.

Lil Durk, given name Durk D. Banks, was arrested earlier this month after he was allegedly busted with a loaded handgun.

Other than for their music, the three rappers attracted attention after 18-year-old rapper Lil JoJo, legal name Joseph Coleman, was shot dead in Englewood September 2012. Lil JoJo's death put some suspicion on the trio, who were feuding with Lil JoJo, the Sun-Times reported. No one has been charged with Lil JoJo's murder.

Lil Reese is a member of a faction of the Black Disciple street gang, according to police documents.