Did My Brother Steal Money From Our Family Business? | KARAMO

I had nothing to do with my brother in over 20 years because he stole thousands of dollars from our family business. I was in charge of the briefcase and it had $2,500 in cash and it went missing. I know it was my brother Star. The week before, I saw him pocketing the money, so I know it was him. It had to be. So me and Star went looking for the money and then he suggested that we split up. Miraculously, he just I found these envelopes out of nowhere, like in 5 seconds after we split. No money, just the envelopes. My brother is a con man, a liar, and a thief. I know he took the money.

Situation we had, we started a business together. We both was in the fashion industry already. Mm-hmm. We were having difficulty problems because we both, nobody's light, bright, and damn near white. So we were having hard problems in the industry. I'm not 6 feet, she's not 6 feet. So we decided to come together and do our business. We was already doing it. We were successful in the fashion industry because we were both designers and choreographers, directors, everything. So we did pretty much everything. That's why it's tattooed on my arm, MTE, Multiple Talent Entertainment. So we started doing everything together. But my thing is I trusted my sister with everything. I didn't care about when she collected money for shows. I didn't care about that. I wanted to promote and design. That's my thing. Bring everybody together. She would walk around with money, the briefcase, as people bring in ticket money for shows. She would walk around with the briefcase every day. How about going to the bank? How about putting the money in the bank? People got used to that. They watching that. Oh wow, every time we bring ticket money and she's putting it in that briefcase. And when she open it, it's a lot of money in there. One day we was about to leave practice, both our briefcases, I don't know why I should keep saying one, both our briefcases were gone. Mom's was in the back, hers was completely missing. She thought that two of the models did it. Of course we turned into gangsters, we started knocking on people doors. We go to their house, they were like, we can't believe y'all said that we did something like that. We didn't do it, but we did see some crazy stuff going on. What did y'all see? We seen a young man near the briefcase. Thank you. We go to his house. So now I get my brother involved and I didn't wanna do that in the beginning 'cause my brother is streets. He's straight streets. I get him involved. We go to the young man house, but this was like a little kid. He said, I'm gonna tell y'all the truth. They told me to get it. I handed it back. They took it. Who told you to get it? He started naming names. So now we make a few more phone calls. Now we knocking on everybody door. By the way, it wasn't $2,500.

How much was it?

It was probably about triple that. We go to the next dude's house, sure enough, they actually had a couple of hundred dollars of the money and they was like, yo, you know, they named one of them, I won't know how to say his name.

And y'all were doing all this together?

We were doing all this together.

So it's interesting to me, and of course this is your side, I wanna hear her side as well, but if she hears, if she's going to these people's houses and they're saying— It gets worse. That they know this money, that everything, I don't understand why she'd think you was all in on it.

It went all the way to guns involved.

Wow.

This is why it's crazy that 30 years later I stole my own money after me and my brothers was outside with guns trying to get the money and the police involved.

Yeah.

So anyway, get back to that part.

Yeah.

We getting to the guys. So now we like, where's the money? They give us the couple hundred dollars they had. So now they like, well listen, we gotta be honest. You know, you guys wilding now. So such and such got all the money. He just gave us a couple. So then they told us where the briefcase was. Which was right in the alleyway behind another building. We go there, they were moving so fast, we actually find a briefcase with a couple of envelopes still in it and still find like $200 in it. That's how fast they were moving. So now we know who got the majority of the money. So now we go to his house where we knew we had to do, because this was a little different. This dude was just as gangster as my brother was. So now we go there, sure enough, he got his people with him already. He done made phone calls 'cause he knew we were coming. We like, "Yo, where's the money?" They hiding him, he not here. By the time we go outside, it's like 20 dudes. So we had to make a phone call, get more dudes. I finally said, "You know what? Let me handle this another way." I am trying to be a businessman, do stuff legit, the right way. I tell my brother, "Go put all that stuff up, we call the police." Police come, the dude that, the main cat, he pops up, but now he's on the run. So they filed charges, whatever. We tried to get him to come to court and get the money. Nobody could find him. But I set all this up for $25.

So is it that she thinks that you're behind the plot of stealing all this?

See, the thing is, I'm the one that was, well, we both was really known, but these people that was working for us at the times, I was in high school. No, I had just graduated. But these was people that was more closer to me in age. So most of the models, most of the artists. So, oh, so I guess, you know, he know most of them, so he set it up.

Got it.

I know most of them. So I was outside about to get shot up or about to have to shoot somebody up.

Got it.

Over this money.

So in your opinion, do you feel like this moment where she was blaming you tarnished your name in the community?

Did it. Bro, this was around the time, this was '95. You got Naughty by Nature from East Orange doing their thing. I know them. I'm even in some of their little videos. You got Queen Latifah, who my sister was best friends with, doing their thing. So you got all these celebrities. Lauryn Hill lived on the next block. We all coming out at the same time. And we were the youngest two with the fashion game. After that, nobody wanted to work with us. They feel like if y'all would have an issue with each other, or he robbed you, so you say, nobody's working with them.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Not to mention, it didn't stop there. Because now she's mad at me. Now mind you, this is my 20s, so I'm bugging, I love fashion. I got the contacts matching the outfits, the color hair.

Yeah.

You know? So I'm running around, little straight guy, you know, but I'm flamboyant, how you wanna say it, whatever, with the fashion. So now it's like, okay, he's gay, he's this, he's that.

Like he said, we had a business together. He came to me, I was already modeling, you know, and it was hard out there for a chocolate girl.

Yeah.

And I'm not that tall, so you know, they had they little standards. So when he came to me with the idea, I thought it was a brilliant idea. We can pull people in all shapes and sizes and show them that you can be a model too. So that was the whole point.

Y'all were ahead of the curve.

Yes. And we was young. 19 and 21. Yeah. We did very well for ourselves. This is our first show. So we really wasn't able to even really get off the ground and we still did a good job for ourselves. Everybody was coming from everywhere like, y'all did this? You know? Okay, so this is where it goes crazy. The show didn't start come yet. It probably was a week or maybe two into the show.

Yeah.

Okay, so after every show, you have to count this money, you understand? He would sit right there with me while I count this money. That's what we was doing this particular night. Everyone is gone, it's he and I. We sit down to count the money. I go in the briefcase and the envelope is gone. So the way it is, it's like each person, each model have their own little envelope that their money goes into. And then you put it in a big yellow envelope. The yellow envelope was gone. So I looked at him. I mean, he's the only one in the room. So he looking at me, and I'm feeling crazy because I'm responsible for this money. You know? So I'm sitting there. I'm like, oh my God. Like, oh my God. And I got tears in my eyes. This guy looks at me, and I guess he can't hold it no more. And he starts laughing like— and he goes in his jacket. This wasn't mentioned, I didn't hear this backstage. He goes in his jacket and he pulls out the yellow envelope. And I'm just looking like, what? He said, "You gotta be careful, yo. You gotta be careful, it's thieves out here." So I take the envelope, put it back in my thing. The next week, the very next week, not long or a month later, no, the very next week, the same exact thing happened again. But this time when I look at him, He don't crack.

'Cause there's nothing to crack about.

So I'm like, okay. I'm gonna be honest with you. I really never felt like it was going. I felt like he had it because you just did it last week.

Mm-hmm.

You understand what I'm saying?

I think maybe that was really just a sincere support of like, let me just show you like we gotta be more careful.

What can happen. That's what we were doing. Okay, that's nice and everything, but I don't feel that way.

I respect that.

I feel like he couldn't hold it once he saw tears in my eyes and everything and me so upset. I feel like he didn't really have it in him, so he gave it back. Maybe he went home and practiced for that week. But hold on for a minute. You can't cut nobody. No, you did your part.

Yeah, I wanna hear it.

So listen.

Hold on, lemme hear her part and then I'm gonna hear it.

I just wanna hear what you got to say when you read these results.

We gonna get to the results, right?

Yeah, we gonna get to 'em.

Okay, all right. So anyway, we got up, he said, "Let's go look for him." We went outside. Soon as we went outside, he said, "Let's split up." That was suspicious to me.

We went to the girl's house first, you forgot?

That was suspicious to me because I'm like, "Okay, why should we split up?" Like, we don't even know who we looking for.

Yeah.

You understand what I'm saying?

Yeah.

So I went one way, he went the other way. No lie, like 2 minutes later he was calling me, "Di, hey Di, I'm coming over there where he's at." It's like in an alleyway in back of some buildings. You see all of the envelopes on the ground. That just looked like it was staged to me. After this happened with the envelopes, we went to one of the models' house. It was a female.

Yes.

We went to her house after all of those things happened. You know, she's telling us like, "Look, I don't have no idea. I didn't see nobody." Okay, so we keep it moving. We go to the next people's house. It's a couple of little dudes, maybe about 13, 14. They brothers. And you know, they was out selling drugs and stuff. That was our purpose, to keep these kids off the streets.

Yeah.

You understand? We can't make you do something, but we know when we have you, you ain't on the streets. So, okay, we went there. We both know what they do. He called the cops. So he took the cop with us to the boy's house. When we get there, the cop's like, "Okay, wake the family up." The parents is up, the kids is up. And the cops is like, "Did you take this money?" And you can look at the guy's face like, "What money?" You know what I'm saying? So they looking all scared. You know, these parents don't know what these boys do. So when the police said, "Just go get the money," These little boys came back with whatever was they money from they little drug sales. Wont singles, wrinkled up fives. That's not our money.

I think the most important thing is to get to this lie detector.

Let's get it.

Our examiner asked Star the following question. I'm gonna pass 'em to you, don't worry. Our investigators asked Star the following question. In the winter of 1995, did you participate, plan, or financially benefit in any way from the $2,500 being stolen from the fashion showcase.

I've been waiting for this moment for almost 30 years and I'm so ready to just ball it up and leave it right here on the stage.

Well, here it goes right now. All right, when it comes to this money that was stolen 30 years ago, the truth is Star is telling the truth. He had nothing to do with it.

Get outta here. No, no, no. What did you ask him?

No, I'm telling you this for you.

We asked him if he had any involvement, involvement planning it, or benefited from the money at all. I would never steal money from you.

I'm telling you this for you.

And he did not.

Give me a hug.

Come on.

Now you don't want no hug?

Hold on.

You okay?

Hold on, there's a moment here because you're getting, there's a moment here for you that's getting vindicated. Here you go.

So he didn't do it. Let me see this, Karamo, 'cause you play too much. Karamo play too much.

Hold on, I'm gonna tell you this because I see the real pain in your brother's, your eyes.

I've been telling you this for years.

I acknowledge the pain that you felt. That's why I asked you about the trust being broken, what else it meant. You were a young woman and this is why I brought up earlier Hip Hop '95, the fashion industry, in this industry, I can imagine what you had to go through.

It was hell for us, but we was better together.

Black woman.

We was better together.

You're a gay woman.

Everybody was ready.

I went through hell. You went through hell.

30 years. My son and her son, they twins, they don't even know each other.

Well, we know the truth now.

Yeah.

We know the truth now. That 30 years is that 30 years. The truth is the truth. It is what it is. I appreciate you coming. I didn't do anything for you. I didn't believe you. I didn't believe you. So I'm glad you came anyway. Do you understand what I'm saying? I really am. Like, I appreciate you.

But I gotta tell you, your brother, and I know this is gonna take some time because you've been living in a truth for 30 years.

Mm-hmm, that I really believed.

That you believed. And so right now what's happening is that you're gonna have to start processing like there may have been inconsistencies and those inconsistencies led you to something that wasn't real. And what happens right now is He's hurting. You gotta look at him because I see the wall is still up that you have, but you gotta start crumbling it down. He's let his wall down. He's letting you in. He's being as vulnerable.

Why you think I was so confident? No, she could have read, but he's telling the truth. Hell yeah, I don't even fly. And I thought the show was in LA, so I was gonna fly to that to prove to my sister. I was glad was in Connecticut 'cause I was scared as hell, but I was gonna fly. I told her, I'm gonna fly.

You're not alone. I need you to hear this. You are not alone. You are not alone. And you have a brother that is here wanting to do good for you.

I'm here with you, man. It's 10 of us. We the only ones got the same mother and father. I'm here. I'm here.

What's going on in your mind?

I've always been here. Even when you didn't think I was here, I was here. I got you. I keep telling you that.

It's time for you two to move forward. Exactly. It's time for you to move forward. Do you wanna move forward with your brother now?

Of course.

You do. Do you wanna move forward with your sister?

Yes.

Yeah.

I've been doing it for years, but I'm gonna move forward this way together.

I'm gonna tell you the one thing that y'all gotta do, and this is gonna be the greatest gift that I hope y'all can receive and take. You can no longer walk outta this room defending the past.

Exactly.

If he says something about the past, you can't say, "Well, no, I only said this, I did that." If you say something about the past, you can't defend it either. Both of y'all have to get to a place with no more defending the past. Because every time you defend the past, you start to bruise the present and then you screw up your future. I'm gonna tell y'all something. I'm a religious man and I believe your mother is smiling right now in this moment.

I really do.

I believe so too. I really do. I believe that whatever is going on, she knew that her babies need to get together in one room.

Yes, maybe it need to start right here.

It started here today. It started and y'all did a great job and I wish y'all the best of luck.

Thank you.

Y'all gonna be all right. Thank you so much.

Y'all are gonna be all right.