Giants cornerback DeAndre Baker was not a part of the team’s virtual offseason program following his mid-May arrest for armed robbery and aggravated assault, and now a new report could lead to the 22-year-old being released -- though Baker's lawyers strongly deny the allegations.
According to Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News, a new search warrant from the Broward County (Fla.) Clerk of Courts cites evidence, including direct messages and video footage, of Baker being involved in an attempt to pay off the four alleged victims.
Following this latest news, team sources told the Daily News they would not expect Baker to remain on the roster much longer.
Witness Dominic Johnson, previously referred to in police reports as “Coach,” helped orchestrate the payoff between Baker, Quinton Dunbar, and the victims, per the warrant, with $55,000 in cash being exchanged.
Per the Daily News, Detective Mark Moretti of the Miramar Police Department submitted the warrant to search Baker and Dunbar's iCloud accounts, writing “Johnson is telling Baker to come to Dunbar Lawyer’s office. Baker replied, ‘Yo I’m in the city now getting cash how much to bring ?? I’m tryna get there too u ASAP.’”
“We all heading to the lawyer now to get the charges dropped I got them n----s to sign the papers,” Johnson allegedly wrote in a direct message on May 15. “Got them same n----s that said they got robbed to say they didn’t … Same n----s that got robbed I made them fix that s--t.”
The warrant reportedly notes that one victim received $30,000, while another received $20,000.
“This is utterly false and defamatory to DeAndre Baker," Bradford Cohen, Baker's attorney, said in a statement via SNY's NFL Insider Ralph Vacchiano. "We do not have any affidavits from the alleged victims of this offense, nor did these 'victims' change the story as to Dre Baker. We accused the 'victims' of extortion and reported to authorities from day 1.
“Andre Baker paid no one. The only statements we have are from several independent witnesses that were at the party. Mr. Baker also took a lie detector given by a nationally known examiner and was shown to be truthful. This is a smear tactic against Andre Baker.”
Baker's other attorney, Patrick G. Patel, also tweeted the following:
“Thank you so much everyone for failing to read the warrant carefully. Note coach, Johnson’s last text to baker, saying hurry up these guys f’n leaving! Baker had no intention ever to pay off witnesses and is not in the video because he is not guilty, and did not witness tamper!
"Note Baker does not have any recanting affidavits, is not in the video and was with his attorneys when this illegal payoff went down! So learn to read b4 you make headlines about baker’s paying off witness! As a matter of fact We told the detective to follow up on this blackmail!"
Baker has previously pleaded not guilty to the charges, and had requested from a judge the ability to travel out of Florida for work reasons, as Giants training camp is scheduled to begin on July 28.