Mendeecees Harris Early Release Request Denied The Harris family received some very disappointing news this week. Mendeecees Harris' request to have his 8-year sentence reduced was denied by a U.S. District judge on Thursday (March 16). VH1 reports: A U.S. District judge refused Mendeecees' request to have his federal drug trafficking sentence reduced from 8 years to 5 years. His lawyer, Dawn Florio, noted that a change in federal sentencing guidelines meant there might be an opportunity to reduce the original sentence given back in December 2015. Florio argued that the Harlem native's role in the drug ring was only minor, and on top of that, Mendeecees has turned in over $170,000 in restitution

and even met with youth organizations four times a week to pay back his debt to society. That apparently wasn't enough to sway the courts. Though this is certainly sad news for the Harris family, Mendeecees has accepted the consequences of his crimes and shared the lessons he's learned along the way. "I completely accept responsibility for all that is going on. My transition to be a better person a productive person started well before this case. However in my past I made some bad decisions. Young men let my life be an example to you now before it's too late," Mendeecees said in a statement before turning himself in.