An attorney for Alvin Joiner, aka rapper and MTV “Pimp My Ride” host Xzibit, sent a cease-and-desist letter to the lawyer representing estranged wife Krista Joiner, denying her previous claims that he secretly sold a stake in his Brass Knuckles cannabis company and threatened to kill a auto detailer if he told her where he was keeping assets like cars, homes and warehouses.
The letter, obtained by TheWrap and signed by Xzibit’s attorney Victor Balladares, directly attacks Krista Joiner’s attorney Cris Armenta, accusing her of “unethical, improper, and legally indefensible conduct.”
“Your misuse of the legal system, knowingly making false statements, witness intimidation and tampering, and interference with my client’s parental rights constitute serious violations,” Balladares writes. The letter threatens her with a civil lawsuit, a criminal referral to the DA’s office and a state bar association complaint.
Update: In a statement to TheWrap, Armenta denied any misconduct by her firm and suggested she might take legal action herself. “The statements made by the Offit Kurman firm to the effect that Krista Joiner’s legal team committed crimes are untrue and defamatory and denigrate our professional reputations… It will be dealt with in due course.”
Krista Joiner filed for divorce in 2021. Her lawyer served a motion last week alleging Alvin Joiner violated court orders by secretly selling his stake in Brass Knuckles, the cannabis company created during the marriage and once valued at $170 million. A restraining order was separately filed for Julio Garcia, whose company detailed cars for both the Joiners.
“Alvin Joiner threatened to kill me if I testified and told Krista the truth about what I learned when I washed his cars, like what vehicles he has, where he has them, where his new house is, that I helped Alvin move cannabis merchandise from Las Vegas to Chatsworth and where the warehouse is,” Garcia wrote in the petition. “He said, ‘I’ll kill you.’ Then he said, ‘Good luck to you and Krista.’”
In Balladares’ letter, he accuses Armenta – who represented a high-profile class-action suit against Harvey Weinstein – of using “coercion and intimidation” on witnesses.
“On multiple occasions, you have directly or indirectly threatened third parties with legal and immigration-related consequences if they did not provide statements favorable to your client,” Balladares wrote. “Witnesses have reported being placed under immense pressure to fabricate or misrepresent facts … You have personally appeared at a third party’s home unannounced, waited outside for an extended period, and attempted to extract information through intimidation tactics.”
The letter denies Krista Joiner’s claims that Xzibit has hidden any assets that were common property during their marriage, as well as other accusations of financial obligations, saying she has rented luxury homes and purchased a new BMW with cash while receiving $30,000 monthly support payments as ordered by the court.
“Your client has made unfounded allegations, including claims of hidden assets, financial misconduct, and abuse, without any evidentiary basis and with reckless disregard for the truth,” Balladeras wrote. “These statements have been discredited by financial disclosures and factual records, yet she continues to repeat them both in court and in public forums, causing unwarranted damage to Mr. Joiner’s career and personal life.”
In a statement to TheWrap, Armenta said her client “has a right to know where the assets of the community or assets that can be used to satisfy a judgment are being hidden. She also has a right and a duty to protect her child from violence or from seeing violence towards his mother.”
“It is unfortunate that Mr. Joiner’s attorneys have decided to litigate this case in the press, mischaracterizing facts in a way that contradicts sworn testimony.using a false narrative and facts that are directly contradictory to sworn testimony,” Armenta wrote. “We would prefer not to focus on any ethical lapses coming from the Offit Kurman firm and instead prepare to litigate the case fairly before a judicial officer, whose role it is to determine the truth.”
In a new statement on Tuesday, she added: “The evidence of what Alvin Joiner did is supported by a sworn declaration under penalty of perjury. The defamatory statements by the Offit Kurman firm have no basis in fact. It was completely irresponsible for the firm disseminate a letter accusing us of criminal acts and it will be dealt with in due course.”
