Not guilty pleas for Deandre Baker, Quinton Dunbar in robbery
New York Giants cornerback DeAndre Baker pleaded not guilty to his eight charges related to an alleged armed robbery that police say took place last week in Miramar, Florida.
Seattle Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar also plans to plead not guilty to his four armed robbery charges later this afternoon, his attorney, Michael Grieco, told ESPN.
This was the next step after both players were granted bail ($200,000 for Baker, $100,000 for Dunbar) on Sunday following a night in Broward Sheriff’s Office jail satisfying their arrest warrants from the alleged incident.
In the coming weeks, the state attorney’s office will decide whether to go forward toward trial in each NFL player’s case. The burden of proof falls on the state, which saw its four victims recant their story to police in sworn affidavits to Grieco within 36 hours of the event. A fifth person, identified as witness Dominic Johnson, also signed an affidavit saying the players weren’t culpable of the alleged crime. Baker’s attorney Bradford Cohen said he has similar affidavits clearing his client, including some that haven’t been presented to the state, for “a little strategic defense issue” in the event this case goes forward.
The prosecutor found it “suspect” that the witnesses recanted within 36 hours.
Cohen and Grieco both expect the charges against their clients to eventually be dropped because of the affidavits and the apparent lack of immediate evidence in the alleged crime.
The alleged robbery occurred during an illegal dice gambling game at a Miramar house with 15 to 20 occupants in attendance, a source told ESPN. A commotion ensued after parties were accused of cheating with “loaded dice,” the source said.
According to the arrest warrant, Baker and Dunbar are accused of stealing money and watches with force while armed with semiautomatic firearms. It states that Baker intentionally threatened victims with a firearm. According to the arrest warrant affidavit, multiple witnesses said that at one point during the incident Baker ordered another suspect wearing a red mask to shoot an individual who was just entering the party.
Prosecutors said they haven’t identified the man in the red mask. There were no shots fired.
The Giants told Baker to stay away from team meetings and focus on his legal issues at this time, a source familiar with the team’s thinking told ESPN. Dunbar and Baker have apologized for the distraction to their teams.
According to court records, Cohen submitted a “motion to travel” for Baker, who is required to attend all OTAs (which currently are virtual) and training camp later this summer. The motion also noted Baker would be traveling with “members of his support team” and is not a flight risk.
ESPN’s Jordan Raanan contributed to this report.