Taxstone, the former hip-hop podcaster was sentenced to an additional 37 months in federal prison on Friday, May 29, 2026, in Brooklyn federal court — this time for masterminding a contraband smuggling ring from inside MDC Brooklyn, the federal detention facility where he has been held. The sentence will run consecutively, meaning it kicks in only after his existing 35-year manslaughter sentence has been served.
What Was In The Rope?
The scheme itself was audacious. According to court documents, Taxstone orchestrated a “fishing” operation on June 30, 2024, in which outside co-conspirators arrived at MDC Brooklyn, pulled a contraband-packed rope from a duffel bag, and hurled it up toward a fourth-floor recreation deck window. Surveillance footage submitted to the court shows inmates stacking chairs and a food cart to reach the window and haul in the load — a nearly 20-minute operation captured in damning detail.
The rope itself contained a synthetic cannabinoid-laced paper rope, over 100 strips of a synthetic opioid, approximately 27 bags of marijuana, more than 400 cigarettes, two lighters, a scalpel, and a cellphone charging cord and plug. Days before the attempt, officers had already confiscated a contraband phone from Taxstone’s locker — and found voice messages on it from months prior planning the operation.
Campbell pleaded guilty on September 12, 2025, to one count of conspiracy to provide and possess contraband in a prison facility. Federal prosecutors, who had been seeking 33 months, ultimately saw the judge impose 37. His defense attorney, Kenneth J. Montgomery, had argued for a 25–30 month term to run concurrently — meaning no additional time — but Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis rejected that approach. The judge also reportedly reprimanded Taxstone during the hearing for leaning back in his chair and chatting with his legal team while court was in session. Taxstone claimed he shouldn’t be imprisoned in the first place.
How Did Taxstone End Up In Prison?
This new sentence piles onto an already crushing legal reality. In June 2023, a Manhattan judge sentenced Campbell to 35 years for the first-degree manslaughter of Ronald “Banga” McPhatter — Troy Ave’s bodyguard — who was fatally shot during a backstage altercation at a T.I. concert at Irving Plaza on May 25, 2016. Troy Ave, who was wounded in the legs during the melee, testified against Taxstone at trial.
Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg said at the time: “Daryl Campbell used a firearm to target his rival, which led to loss of a life and serious injuries to innocent bystanders.”
Campbell had also previously pleaded guilty in 2017 to two federal gun charges stemming from the same incident, receiving a 115-month (roughly 9.5-year) sentence that runs concurrently with the manslaughter term. He is currently appealing his manslaughter conviction.
The Full Picture Of Taxstone’s Prison Timeline
When all sentences are stacked:
- 35 years — state manslaughter sentence (2023)
- 115 months (~9.5 years) — federal gun charges, running concurrent with the above
- 37 months (~3 years) — contraband smuggling, running consecutive after the 35-year term
Taxstone’s legal woes are part of a broader federal crackdown on contraband and violence at MDC Brooklyn, which saw 25 people charged across a dozen cases in March 2025. Co-conspirators in the rope scheme — including inmates Jonathan Guerrero, Ian Diez, Abel Mora, and Mayovanex Rodriguez — have faced their own sentencings, with Mora receiving over 11 years for the smuggling charges combined with two gang-related shootings.
Taxstone maintains his innocence in the Irving Plaza case and says he plans to continue his appeal.
