Credit card firm sues rap label

Death Row Records has been hit by a lawsuit from American Express alleging that rap mogul Marion “Suge” Knight and his attorney David Kenner ran up $1.7 million in debt on platinum and gold cards.

Knight, who is in Los Angeles County Jail on a probation violation, could not be reached for comment.

But Kenner denied the allegations Tuesday, blaming Death Row’s former accountant for most of the unpaid bills detailed in the suit, which was filed Jan. 7 in Los Angeles Superior Court.

“These charges were put on these cards without the authorization of Mr. Knight or myself for expenditures that had nothing to do with us,” Kenner said. “We will soon file a cross complaint, which will include Gelfand, Rennert & Feldman and their former partner Steve Cantrock.”

Cantrock, who handled the Death Row account for three years, was fired last Friday for unethical practices by Gelfand, Rennert & Feldman, which is owned by Coopers & Lybrand. The Los Angeles accountant has been accused by Knight of stealing $4.5 million--an allegation that Coopers & Lybrand says is without merit.

Cantrock signed a document admitting that he owed Death Row the money, but sources close to Cantrock contend that he signed the document only after being threatened by Knight and his associates. Knight and Kenner deny Cantrock was threatened.

Cantrock is cooperating with a Justice Department investigation into whether Death Row has been operating as a criminal enterprise, based on alleged links to street gangs, drug trafficking, money laundering, violent acts, extortion and gunrunning.

A representative for Coopers & Lybrand said he knew nothing about the American Express bills.

Craig Barnes, the Los Angeles attorney representing American Express, declined comment.

The American Express lawsuit contends that Knight, Kenner and Kenner’s wife racked up $1.7 million in debt, including hundreds of thousands of dollars in charter service fees and rental of 21 Las Vegas hotel rooms at $50 each for Sept. 7, the night that Knight and rapper Tupac Shakur were shot while driving near the Las Vegas Strip. Shakur died six days later.