Joe Budden’s Lawyer Slams Police Chief Over Lewdness Charge

Joe Budden’s attorney, Nima Ameri, has addressed his recent charge of lewdness by sharing a statement with TMZ on Tuesday. The charge stems from an incident in Edgewater, New Jersey where he allegedly stood naked outside a neighbor’s apartment. Edgewater Police Chief Donald A. Martin announced the charge in a statement on Monday. 

“Mr. Budden is saddened by Police Chief Martin’s press release,” Ameri wrote. “Mr. Budden has been waiting weeks for his cross complaints to be processed which include substantially more serious charges include possible felony charges against the persons behind these charges against him. The Chief has in our opinion sat on those but instead used his time to gain some free publicity for himself. Chief Martin should seek publicity by doing notable policing not inflaming disorderly person allegations.”

Ameri continued: “The allegations against Mr. Budden are a minor charge, not even resulting in an arrest. A charge Mr. Budden is looking forward to beating in court on the merits, not in the press. The Chief’s comments are reckless, and in our opinion racially motivated. Our research has not shown a single press release on a disorderly person charge on the police website this year. His choice to single out Mr. Budden in our opinion is self motivated and based off of Mr. Budden’s race and celebrity status.” The statement comes after Budden shared a cryptic meme on his Instagram Story.

The resident of the apartment Budden allegedly alerted police after seeing the podcast host through his doorbell camera. In the footage, he allegedly attempts to enter a code on the door before eventually returning to his own apartment across the hall. Budden will appear in court on January 16, 2025, to address the matter. Be on the lookout for further updates on the case at that time.