United States v. Banks

The indictment charged five counts arising from an August 2022 shooting near the Beverly Center in Los Angeles: conspiracy to commit murder for hire, use of interstate facilities to commit murder for hire resulting in death, conspiracy to commit interstate stalking, interstate stalking involving a dangerous weapon, and interstate stalking resulting in death. A conviction on the murder-for-hire counts carried a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The government's theory was that Banks sought retaliation for the 2020 killing of a close associate, and that a group traveled from Chicago to Los Angeles to carry out the plan. Prosecutors told the jury that the shooting killed the cousin of the intended target rather than the target himself.

The defense, led by Drew Findling and Brian Steel, argued that the government's case was replete with reasonable doubt and was built on the cooperation of several people seeking to avoid sentences of their own. The defense position was that Banks had no involvement, and that a former personal assistant arranged the attack to impress him. That assistant had reached a plea agreement and testified for the government.

Banks did not testify. Closing arguments were delivered on September 8, 2026, and the jury deliberated across three days before returning not guilty verdicts on all five counts on September 11, 2026. Two co-defendants were convicted of stalking and stalking conspiracy and acquitted of the murder-for-hire allegations.

A separate federal racketeering case against Banks remained pending at the time of the verdict.