One of the inmates involved in the wild, toilet-hole jail escape in New Orleans last month posted a purported plea on Instagram this week, begging President Donald Trump and local Louisiana rapper Lil Wayne “for help” while claiming, “I didn’t break out, I was let out.”
Antoine Massey, 32, allegedly began posting the alleged Instagram video on multiple accounts on Sunday, according to the US Marshals Service, which is conducting an official investigation, as confirmed and reported by NOLA.com on Monday.
“They say I broke out.” I did not break out. “I was let out,” Massey allegedly says in the video, identifying himself at one point by name.
“The reason why I left the jail is because these people were trying to give me a life sentence in both parishes for something that I did not do,” according to his claim.
As previously reported by Law&Crime, Massey and the other inmates escaped from the Orleans Justice Center, which is run by the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, by carving a hole behind a toilet and crawling through it, according to police.
Following the incident, Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson suspended several employees and initiated an internal investigation. Hutson, in a May 20 statement, stated that she accepts “full responsibility” and “accountability” for what occurred and has suspended her reelection campaign.
“We’ve taken immediate action,” Hutson stated.
In his Instagram video, Massey claims that he was wrongfully accused of domestic abuse involving strangulation by a woman he knows and charged with motor vehicle theft.
According to NOLA.com, he has a criminal record dating back at least 2009, including violent felony convictions for armed robbery, aggravated flight from an officer, and felon in possession of a firearm.
He was previously convicted of theft, simple criminal damage to property, and tampering with electronic monitoring equipment.
“I’m asking, please, for help,” Massey allegedly says. “I am referring to people who have been through the system and know it is corrupt. Please, Lil Wayne and Donald Trump, I need your help. Do you understand what I am saying?
So far, eight of the ten escapees have been apprehended, with the only remaining fugitive being Derrick Groves, 27, who was convicted of double murder and imprisoned last October.
One of Massey’s relatives reportedly saw the alleged video of him and recognized the background, reporting it to local authorities.
According to NOLA.com, a search warrant was issued and executed on Monday at a home in the 1700 block of Agriculture Street, but Massey was not found. As of Tuesday night, he remained at large.
