Notorious B.I.G. Estate Claims Inmate Who Changed His Testimony Is Lying

The estate of slain rapper Notorious B.I.G. filed a federal court motion on Monday (October 29) claiming that a prison inmate who previously implicated a former police officer in the killing was lying when he recanted his testimony.

According to the Associated Press, the motion seeks access to phone and prison visitation records for Waymond Anderson, a former R&B artist now serving a life sentence for murder in a separate case.

Anderson said, according to a previous report from the Los Angeles Times, that he lied about LAPD involvement in the Notorious B.I.G. murder as part of a "scam" to benefit from large monetary settlement out of the city (see "Incarcerated Witness Says He Lied About LAPD Link To Notorious B.I.G. Murder").

B.I.G.'s estate argues that records will reveal holes in Anderson's recanted testimony.

The informant -- in his August 20th deposition -- accused the family of Notorious B.I.G. (real name: Christopher Wallace) and their lawyer of offering a percentage of any settlement received from the city of Los Angeles if he testified that former Los Angeles Officer, Rafael Perez, had told him that another ex-officer, David Mack, was involved in the murder, despite the two ex-officers long denying any involvement in the killing.

Monday's filing claims Anderson took back his previous testimony as part of an orchestrated attempt to "negatively affect public sentiment and the jury pool," reports the AP.

In April, the rapper's family filed a second wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles, alleging that rogue police officers killed the rapper and the city covered it up (see "Wallace Family File Another Lawsuit Against Los Angeles For Death Of Notorious B.I.G.").

The previous suit ended in a mistrial in 2005.

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