YNW Bortlen Arrested for Violating Bond Release

YNW Bortlen, friend of YNW Melly and co-defendant in the Florida rapper’s double murder case stemming from the 2018 deaths of YNW Sakchaser and YNW Juvy, has been arrested after violating the terms of his pre-trial release.

According to documents obtained by XXL today (April 12), Bortlen, born Cortlen Henry, was arrested and booked by the Miami-Dade Police Department on April 8 after an out-of-county warrant had been issued for Bortlen’s arrest.

Bortlen and Melly were both arrested by the Miramar Police Department back in 2019, in connection to their alleged involvement in the murders of affiliates YNW Juvy and YNW Sakchaser. Bortlen was charged at the time with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of accessory in the killings. YNW Melly and YNW Bortlen were accused by police of staging the murders as a drive-by shooting.

According to Bortlen’s April 8 arrest affidavit, he was deemed a fugitive and wanted in Broward County, Fla. He is also being held in Miami without bond.

In May of 2020, YNW Bortlen was granted $90,000 bond and placed on house arrest. However, based on his Affidavit for Failure to Comply, dated for April 5, Bortlen was given permission to leave his residence for work on March 27 and was later tracked to a private residence and King of Diamonds strip club in Miami. The following day, on March 28, the 21-year-old rapper was also permitted to leave his home for work, but was tracked to Playhouse Gentleman’s Club and G5 Gentleman’s Club—both venues are strip clubs in the Miami area.

Bortlen visiting strip clubs in Miami, a clear violation of his pre-trial release, prompted the warrant to be issued, which resulted in his bond being revoked. The warrant document notes that Bortlen—referred to as the defendant—had not “properly conducted himself” and “violated the conditions of his release.”

Although YNW Bortlen was initially granted bond last summer, YNW Melly was not. Despite Melly claiming to have tested positive for the coronavirus in April of last year, he was not released early and remains behind bars in Florida.

A little over a month after Bortlen was released, he dropped the track “Been Thru” with an accompanying visual.

XXL has reached out to the Miramar Police Department, the Miami-Dade Police Department, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office and YNW Bortlen’s attorney for a comment on this matter.

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