Giants Rumors

The lawyer for DeAndre Baker believes the charges against his client could be dropped by the end of the week, as Ralph Vacchiano of SNY writes. So far, Baker’s defense team has been vocal, brash, and confident in the face of felony charges for armed robbery.

[RELATED: Giants’ DeAndre Baker, Seahawks’ Quinton Dunbar Accused Of Armed Robbery]

“I think we’ve got the case won, to be honest with you. I think it’s only a matter of time,” Patrick G. Patel said. “But it’s the kid’s life. This kid will get suspended and lose his job, and then the case gets dismissed and what have we done? So everybody’s taking a wait and see approach.”

The lawyer representing Quinton Dunbar – the Seahawks cornerback and alleged accomplice of Baker in the Florida incident – has expressed similar sentiments. Of course, it’s the job of a defense attorney to cast doubt on allegations and push back against charges being levied, so it all has to be taken with a grain of salt.

Baker’s lawyer says that the Giants second-year pro was the victim of a “shakedown,” noting that four of the witnesses involved have already recanted their testimony. Meanwhile, he’s teamed with Dunbar’s lawyer and claims that he’s uncovered independent witnesses that can vouch for their innocence.

As of this writing, Florida authorities are sticking to their version of events. They say Baker held people at gunpoint at a cookout while Dunbar robbed them. Some witnesses claimed that Dunbar also had a gun and there may have been a third man involved. Ultimately, police say, they walked off with expensive watches and about $7K in cash.

Despite Patel’s claims, Baker remains in limbo with his club. In mid-May, the Giants asked him to stay away from team activities in order to focus on his legal matters.

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After being released on bond, Deandre Baker and Quinton Dunbar have entered not guilty pleas, as ESPN.com’s Cameron Wolfe writes. Baker is facing eight charges in connection with the alleged armed robbery in Florida; Dunbar is facing four counts. 

[RELATED: DeAndre Baker, Quinton Dunbar Released On Bond]

Meanwhile, the attorneys for both cornerbacks are going on the offensive. Michael Grieco, the lawyer representing Dunbar, says it’s “completely untrue” that the duo gambled away $70K before the night in question (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson). Furthermore, Grieco claims that they’re not especially close friends and they weren’t together at all in the weeks leading up to the fateful Wednesday.

The police department in Miramar, Florida has a different account of things. Authorities say Baker held partygoers at gunpoint while Dunbar robbed them. Some witnesses claimed that Dunbar also had a gun. With the aid of a third man wearing a mask, Miramar PD says they ran off with thousands of dollars, plus a Rolex, Hublot, and a Audemars Piguet.

Now, the duo will wait to find out whether the charges will actually be filed. Grieco expects word within a month and, ultimately, believes that his client will be cleared. Either way, the NFL is expected to conduct its own investigation into the matter.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Shortly after surrendering to police, Giants CB DeAndre Baker and Seahawks CB Quinton Dunbar have posted bond and have been released from jail, as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports. Baker was granted a $200K bond ($25K for each of the eight charges he is facing), and Dunbar was granted a $100K bond ($25K for each of his four charges).

Both players have been ordered to remain in Florida at this time, though Broward County Judge Michael Davis also said that the matter would be given further consideration when Baker and Dunbar need to leave the state for work (i.e., when the league is no longer operating virtually). The Giants have told Baker to stay away from team meetings — he had been participating in most of the club’s virtual offseason program — so that he can focus on his legal issues.

The fact that the players received fairly “light” bonds relative to their income suggests to some, like New York-based criminal defense attorney David Touger, that the prosecution’s case is not particularly strong (via Paul Schwartz of the New York Post). “The prosecution does not seem to have gone at Baker or his co-defendant very hard,” Touger said. “If they had a strong case one could assume that they would have really fought hard for remand and no bail.”

But according to Fowler, the state did indeed request remand, the judge just did not grant it (perhaps due to Baker’s and Dunbar’s lack of criminal history). Dunbar’s attorney presented five affidavits — four from alleged victims and one from a witness — recanting statements they had previously made to police. The state found it suspicious that those recantations came just 36 hours after the statements were made and pertained specifically to Dunbar, though Baker’s attorney proffered that he has some affidavits of his own and is not playing all his cards at the moment. He did share one affidavit from a mutual friend of Dunbar and Baker who said that Baker did not take any property from him and did not point a gun at anyone.

Obviously, this matter is still in its early stages. Even the best-case scenario for Baker and Dunbar probably includes a suspension of some kind, especially since the disturbing allegations stem from an illegal dice gambling game.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.