Max B, the Harlem rapper born Charly Wingate, went to jail for his role in planning a 2006 armed robbery at a Holiday Inn in Fort Lee, New Jersey, that ended with a man named David Taylor Jr. shot dead inside a hotel room. He was not at the scene when the trigger was pulled, but a New Jersey jury convicted him in 2009 of felony murder, first-degree armed robbery, kidnapping, and aggravated assault, and a judge sentenced him to 75 years in prison. That sentence was later reduced to 20 years through a plea deal, and he was released on November 9, 2025, after roughly 16 years behind bars.
The 2006 Fort Lee Robbery
In September 2006, Wingate organized a plan to rob two men who had been seen around Harlem driving expensive cars and flashing cash. Trial witnesses said the targets were staying at a Holiday Inn in Fort Lee, and that Wingate coordinated the robbery with his stepbrother, Kelvin Leerdam, and an ex-girlfriend who later cooperated with prosecutors. The plan called for Leerdam and the woman to go into the hotel room and take the money. Wingate stayed away.
It went sideways fast. Leerdam and the woman barged into the room demanding cash, and during the confrontation Leerdam shot and killed David Taylor Jr. What had been planned as a robbery became a homicide investigation, and investigators traced the planning back to Wingate. Prosecutors built their case around his role as the person who picked the targets, chose the location, and directed the others to carry out the crime.
Why He Was Convicted of Murder Without Being There
The jury convicted Wingate of felony murder under New Jersey’s murder statute. That law treats a killing that happens during certain violent crimes the same as intentional murder, even when the defendant did not pull the trigger or was not physically present. It covers deaths that occur during robberies, kidnappings, and other dangerous felonies when any participant causes someone’s death.1Justia. New Jersey Code 2C:11-3 – Murder
He was also convicted of first-degree armed robbery. Under New Jersey law, robbery jumps from a second-degree crime to first degree when the perpetrator uses or threatens a deadly weapon, or inflicts or attempts to inflict serious bodily injury during the theft.2Justia. New Jersey Code 2C:15-1 – Robbery The kidnapping and aggravated assault counts reflected the physical restraint and violence used against the victims inside the room. The theory throughout the trial was simple: Wingate was the planner, and under New Jersey law a planner shares the same criminal liability as the person who carried out the violence.
His co-defendants faced their own consequences. Leerdam, who fired the shot, was sentenced to life in prison plus 35 years. The ex-girlfriend took a plea deal before trial and testified against both men.
The 75-Year Sentence and How It Was Cut to 20
The judge stacked several counts consecutively rather than running them at the same time, which is how the sentence reached 75 years. The felony murder count alone carried a mandatory 30 years before parole eligibility. Wingate was 30 years old at sentencing. In practical terms, the number meant he would not have been eligible for release until well past his 100th birthday.
The break in the case came from an unusual angle. Wingate’s attorneys discovered that his original trial lawyer had been simultaneously serving as his music manager and entertainment attorney while representing him in the criminal case. Bergen County Judge James Guida found the dual role a serious enough conflict of interest to reopen the case, and it gave the defense concrete leverage to negotiate a new outcome instead of just arguing the sentence was too long.
In September 2016, Wingate pleaded guilty to a single count of aggravated manslaughter, a first-degree crime in New Jersey.3Justia. New Jersey Code 2C:11-4 – Manslaughter In exchange, the court dismissed the felony murder, armed robbery, kidnapping, and aggravated assault convictions from the original trial. The new sentence was 20 years, replacing the 75-year term.
Release and Parole Supervision
Even with the reduction, Wingate could not walk out after serving a small fraction of the new sentence. New Jersey’s No Early Release Act requires anyone convicted of certain first-degree violent crimes, including aggravated manslaughter, to serve at least 85 percent of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole.4Justia. New Jersey Revised Statutes Section 2C:43-7.2 – Mandatory Period of Parole Ineligibility for Persons Convicted of Certain Crimes The years he had already served since his 2009 arrest counted toward the new sentence, and he was released on November 9, 2025, after approximately 16 years incarcerated.
Release did not mean the case is over. The same No Early Release Act imposes a mandatory five-year term of parole supervision after prison for first-degree crimes. During that period, the parolee remains in the legal custody of the Department of Corrections and is supervised by the State Parole Board. Standard conditions in New Jersey include living at an approved residence, reporting regularly to a parole officer, submitting to drug and alcohol testing, staying away from firearms, and getting permission before leaving the state. Parolees must also notify their officer within one business day of any contact with law enforcement, and the parole board can add case-specific conditions such as no-contact orders with victims’ families.5Legal Information Institute (LII). N.J. Admin. Code 10A:71-6.4 – Conditions of Parole
Wingate’s five-year supervision period runs until roughly late 2030. A violation could send him back to prison to finish out the remaining balance of the 20-year sentence.