From the witness testimony of NCIS special agent John C. Little, given in North Carolina in August 2021 during the detention hearing of Joseph Maurino, a New Jersey national guardsman charged with supplying neo-Nazis with untraceable weapons. Maurino is awaiting trial.
prosecutor: Do you have concerns?
agent john c. little: There are unaccounted for weapons. The number of weapons described in the Signal group we have not recovered.
prosecutor: No further questions, your Honor.
judge: I have a follow-up question.
prosecutor: About what?
judge: “Got seven MAC-11s, about eight .38s, nine 9s.” Are we looking for those firearms?
prosecutor: I don’t know.
judge: This is the government’s Exhibit 8 where it says, “I’ve got seven MAC-11s, about eight .38s, nine 9s.” That’s a rap lyric.
prosecutor: I’m—
judge: The Court’s independently aware of that.
prosecutor: I’m not understanding. I apologize.
judge: If you look on page eight—
prosecutor: Yes.
judge: Where he says, “I’ll need a list of ammo to get.” Then says, “I’ve got seven Mack 11s, about eight .38s, nine 9s.” It seems to me like he’s just tossing a Biggie Smalls lyric into the chat.
prosecutor: I am still not understanding.
judge: Biggie Smalls is a dead rapper.
prosecutor: Oh.
judge: It’s a lyric from a song by a dead rapper.
prosecutor: Got it.
judge: There is a lot going on here. But that is not compelling.