Leah Ignagni, Steve McNair's Second Mistress, Was Busted for Drugs

By: Sammy Rose Saltzman
Topics: Daily Blotter

(Facebook Photo)

Facebook Photo: Leah Ignagni.

NEW YORK (CBS) Crimesider has just unearthed arrest records for Leah Ignagni, murdered NFL star Steve McNair's other-other-woman.

EXCLUSIVE PICTURES: McNair's Other Lover Leah Ignagni
EXCLUSIVE PICTURES: McNair's Lover Sahel Kazemi

Igagni, 25, was arrested in August on three drug charges, two of which are felonies, after police conducted a sting operation and executed a search warrant on her home.

(Facebook Photo, The Tennessean)

Photo: McNair's girlfriend Sahel Kazemi.

That's according to affidavits on the Nashville Criminal Court Clerk Web site.

Earlier this year McNair and his other lover 20-year-old Sahel Kazemi were found shot to death in McNair's Nashville apartment.

Police believe Kazemi shot and killed the former Tennessee Titans great and then herself on July 4, 2009. Authorities say Kazemi committed the murder-suicide because of mounting financial woes and a suspicion that McNair was seeing another woman.

Was that other woman Ignagni?

(Facebook Photo)

Facebook Photo: Leah Ignagni.
EXCLUSIVE PICTURES: McNair's Other Lover Leah Ignagni
EXCLUSIVE PICTURES: McNair's Lover Sahel Kazemi

In a police report released Oct. 19, Ignagni, 25, confirmed she was having an affair with McNair and said a car matching the description of Kazemi's black Escalade had followed her home and that a woman was behind the wheel.

Kazemi's former roommate, Emily Andrews, also told police that Kazemi "found a tampon in the bathroom wastebasket in the Lea Avenue condo, and on another occasion, saw a female leaving the condo."

(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Photo: Steve McNair during a 2003 court hearing.
EXCLUSIVE PICTURES: McNair's Other Lover Leah Ignagni
EXCLUSIVE PICTURES: McNair's Lover Sahel Kazemi

As for Ignagni, she was arrested on Aug. 24, 2009 for two felony drug offenses and one misdemeanor. The first charge came after police say they observed Ignagni sell 150 pills of the prescription painkiller Lortab to a confidential informant wearing a transmission device on Aug. 18, according to the arrest affidavit.

Police then executed a narcotics search warrant at Ignagni's home on Aug. 24, which she was present for and during which she "made many statements about the marijuana located throughout the residence being the defendant's [Ignagni's]," the arrest warrant states. Authorities located about "20 grams of marijuana" in the home, as well as rolling papers and a marijuana grinder.

Ignagni was arrested at the time of the search for selling a controlled substance in relation to the Aug. 18 Lortab undercover sting, as well as possession with intent to sell for the marijuana found in her home, both felony charges, according to the warrant. She was also arrested for unlawful use of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor, for the papers and grinder, the report states.

Ignagni paid a combined bond of $17,000, and made a lower court appearance on Oct. 14, according to the Nashville Criminal Court Clerk Web site.

PHOTOS
EXCLUSIVE PICTURES: McNair's Other Lover Leah Ignagni
EXCLUSIVE PICTURES: McNair's Lover Sahel Kazemi

EARLY SHOW INVESTIGATION
Story: More Doubts about Steve McNair Death Probe
Story: Steve McNair Death Probe Questioned

FULL COVERAGE: Steve McNair's Murder
Story: Steve McNair Death Probe Questioned

MORE ON CRIMESIDER
October 20, 2009 - Sahel Kazemi and Steve McNair Final Texts Show Worries of Love and Money
October 20, 2009 - Leah Ignagni Photos: First Pictures Appear on CBS News Crimesider
October 20, 2009 - Leah Ignagni Identified as Steve McNair's Other Lover in Police Report (Pictures)
October 20, 2009 - Sahel Kazemi Photos: Exclusive Never-Before-Seen Pictures of Steve McNair's Lover
October 20, 2009 - Exclusive Phone Records: Steve McNair's Lover Sahel Kazemi and Gun Seller Were In Constant Contact
October 19, 2009 - Exclusive: Was Steve McNair Murder Investigation Flawed? Was Lover Really Suicidal?
October 19, 2009 - CBS EXCLUSIVE: Shocking New Evidence in Steve McNair Murder To Be Released Monday

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by justice4nash October 24, 2009 10:03 AM EDT

Here is a cached version of why he was released in FL. Notice his lawyer claims he's a hard working guy who has not been in any trouble since his release. Oops guess Gilliam did not tell his lawyer about his arrest for driving under a suspended licenses wonder why they were suspended??
--

He was convicted of three counts of second-degree murder and attempted armed robbery in Dade County, Fla., in 1993 and sentenced concurrently to 15 and 17 years in prison.

Gilliam was released in 2002 and wasn't put on probation, said Gretl Plessinger, spokeswoman for Florida's Department of Corrections.

His early release stemmed from good behavior. He also committed the crimes before 1995, when a new Florida law called for inmates to serve a minimum of 85 percent of their sentence, Plessinger said.

Gilliam has been free for seven years with no trouble, Mundy said, moving to Tennessee soon after his release. He worked at a car dealership until recently, when he was laid off.

"Obviously, he could not foresee what was going to happen," Mundy said. "No one denies this is a tragedy. Steve McNair was one of Nashville's heroes. A lot of lives have already been ruined. But Mr. Gilliam is a decent, hard-working family man, and there's no reason to ruin his life too."

Investigators traced the gun to a 2002 sale at Household Pawn on Charlotte Avenue. It went through another owner before Gilliam bought it.

Gilliam admitted to Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents that he sold the gun to Kazemi, identifying her through a photograph.

Investigators wouldn't say whether Kazemi and Gilliam met once or multiple times.
http://74.125.113.132/search?q=cache:6vxtpUa7wZsJ:www.bradycampaign.org/xshare/clips/txt/2009-07-18-Felon_tells_ATF_he_sold_gun_.txt+adrian+gilliam+jr+2002+florida+law+releases&cd=13&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

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by yellowtape October 24, 2009 12:20 PM EDT: Were the three counts of 2nd degree murder and attempted armed robbery all incidents that occurred during the commission of a single criminal event??

That was my thinking.

I'm really intrigued by the'robbery gone bad' angle for the McNair/Kazemi murders.

It's unbelievable, assuming the NPD had the text message and cell phone records between Gilliam and Kazemi, that Gilliam wasn't the prime suspect in this case from the beginning.

How credible is it that someone who is a convicted triple murderer whose own firearm was found at the scene of a double homicide, was able to convince authorities he 'sold' his gun to a girl who happened to be found dead on scene, whom Gilliam had some type of previous personal relationship??

Shouldn't Gilliam have been the main suspect on general principle?


by badforu October 24, 2009 1:00 PM EDT: I think its 2 seperate incidents. I could find the Armed robbery in the law journals online, but couldnt find any mention of his Murder case.

Oh come on.. this guys record makes him a suspect, then all the lies he has been caught in??? And i think he could still get convicted of the murders. They blew the GRS evidence, but since the gun sale is in question, then it makes it his gun. His gun at a murder scene is almost as good as a video of him shooting them. Then to stack the lies on top of it, time of sale questionable and his relationship to the victims has big question marks now. How can they not pursue this avenue?

There persistence in not looking at this as a murder is what has police complicity in the crime questioned. And only from the inside can an investigation be directed as this one has.

I hope some one of statue gets on the case. You would think with all the high power friends that McNair has someone would of stepped up and got it going ..... Awesome friends he had. Me, personally, if my best friend was murdered, id be on it, and i dont have any money. Heck I dont even know Mcnair or any one in the case and im on it.

I think who ever made the call for the hit is scarry. Once the story broke, all the players went underground. No interviews, you didnt even see them in public, several have left Nashville. And for Norfleet this was strange. When have you ever known a "Rap Star" run from the camera? This was his big chance to become well known.


by badforu October 24, 2009 2:21 AM EDT: i think they all knew or knew of Gilliam. I think he was the town hustler, mainly sold weed, but would do any thing for money.

Now, from what i can see, McNair wasnt one to let riff raff hang around him. So i think Mcnair knew him by seeing him around and stuff, but i doubt gilliam was allowed in his circle.

Now kazime.... i dont know. Im pretty sure he sold her weed, but i think it went further then that. They always got that jive pimp talk, and always trying to get with the girls, if you know what i mean.

This he sold Norfleet his weed too, as well as knew him.; Reply to this comment


by justice4nash October 24, 2009 1:20 AM EDT: A Neely-Gilliam tie?

"On Friday I received some very important information from what in the police world we would call a reliable source. This person knows the attorney I recommended for the family, Paul Walwyn.

At one point they owned a sporting goods store and had a few encounters with Charles Wayne Neely (aka Wayne Neely), and this person did have a good experience from their meetings.

More interesting was that is the fact that this person had heard the name Adrian Gilliam years before the rest of the world. I had wondered how a convicted murderer from Florida ended up in Nashville, Tennessee. Here's the story I got from this reliable source.

Several years ago while Gilliam was still incarcerated, he was being "mentored" on-line from a local and well known church here in Nashville. At some point, a female member of the church began communicating with Gilliam via the Internet and eventually started making visits at the Department of Corrections in Florida. This woman was a player for a professional woman's football team in Nashville.

When Gilliam was released from prison, the team happened to be in Florida for a game. This woman asked other teammates if Gilliam could ride back to Nashville on the bus. The consensus was no. Eventually, Gilliam entered the rear of the bus with help from his friend and hid under a blanket during the bus ride back to Nashville.

My source shared my same sentiments but said what I have been thinking from the beginning without me saying it. The fact that Gilliam supposedly sold the gun to Sahel Kazemi is no fluke. The source stated Gilliam has always been desperate for money and could never hold a steady job. The woman he snuck on the bus to come to Nashville with took care of him for over two years until he let her go and moved on to another woman.

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-7311-Cultural-Trends-Examiner~y2009m7d28-McNair--Kazemi-murder-continued-Who-sold-her-the-gun-and-how-did-he-get-to-Nashville; Reply to this comment

by justice4nash October 24, 2009 1:05 AM EDT

If I remember correctly Gilliam got released due to some law passed in Florida. I will see if I can find it.
I hope CBS keeps digging seems all the local papers have lost interest.

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by badforu October 24, 2009 1:47 AM EDT: On gilliams release and that law your talking about. I think in 1995 a law was enacted that made people with capitol crimes do more of there sentence them they was doing before 1995, since gilliam was before 1995, then he was "eligible"for a parole hearing earlier.

But in any event, Regardless what happened, he still has to do his 17 years. The Prison and Parole board can decide if he does it inside prison or out on parole, but they can not change his sentence. In some cases where the offense is not too bad and the person is doing good, making his meetings and holding a job, they can put him on "inactive" parole, which is for all intensive purposes no parole, only if he got into trouble with the law would his parole be brought up. But from the way it appears, he was never on parole or never went to his parole officer.

Thats why the family of the slain people have a case. The State of Florida had a responsiblity to keep tabs on Gilliam. This responsiblity is real and legally binding. Failure to fulfill that responsiblity, that would make them accountable for Gilliam. Now if gilliam fled florida, and his parole officer reported that he didnt show up for his meeting, and then filed a warrent for him for Violation of Parole. Then the state would of been trying to act responsible and not liable.

by yellowtape October 24, 2009 12:38 AM EDT

It's fairly well documented that Kazemi and McNair spent much of 7/3 bar-crawling, with Kazemi spending much of that time cooling it in her Escalade because she was underage.

NPD would have you believe that whole evening, Kazemi was in possession of a gun purchased from Gilliam, possibly in her SUV,and it would only be a few hours before she would murder herself and McNair.

If they were so on the outs the way some have alleged, would Steve really spend such a big social evening, the weekend of the 4th, with a "clingy, obsessive" Kazemi??
They were clearly together as a couple that night, and she left before Steve did and went back to the condo to wait for him to return.

Their relationship seemed to be proceeding as normal that evening, so where is the trigger that would cause her to 'snap' and commit such a horrific crime a mere few hours later??

What if someone had planned to break-in and rob McNair's condo that evening, assuming it was his primary residence and not a 'love nest', and believed he had money and valuables stashed on the premises??

What if someone knew that McNair (and Kazemi) would not be home until very late that night, because this person had been in text and cell phone contact with someone who would know, except the would be thief mis-timed his robbery??

Wasn't Gilliam convicted of a 2nd degree double homicide in Florida during a similar attempt of a home invasion gone terribly wrong??

Bizarre symmetry....

Remember, McNair had to be one of the richest men in the state of Tennessee; that fact alone is enough for some people to contemplate armed robbery, burglary, or worse.

What this case needs is a top notch private investigator and a forensic technology specialist to really dig beneath surface of this case and find out the WHOLE truth.

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by badforu October 24, 2009 12:50 AM EDT: cant get any info on Gilliams past convictions.. but they appear to be 2 seperate charges from 2 different incidents. One case was for a 3-2nd degree murder and 1 armed robbery. He got 17 years for the 3 murders and 16 years for the armed robbery ran concurrent to his 17, basically giving him only the 17 year sentence to do.

I say that Kazime and Mcnairs family may have a good case against the State of Florida. They didnt monitor him after being released from prison. By them not doing there job, he was allow to get into this trouble.

No answer on his parole. He should of been on parole till 2009, but it seems like he never was on parole. He came to nashville in 2002. If he was released from prison on Parole, he should of been supervised and if he failed to report, then gilliam should of had a fugitive warrent on him for Violation of Parole. Theres no way he could be release and the rest of his sentence not served on parole. The prison and parole can only do what sentence is, not change it, or cut his time.


by badforu October 24, 2009 12:22 AM EDT: Yeah, i read alot on that evening, mainly in trying to pin down where and what Mcnair did on his last day.

From the begining i have asked how they came to the 1-1:30 am as time of death. Reason i was asking was that the Cornerer never determined the time of death. This is unusual. After doing some research i read up on the cornerers job. If the person has been dead for 24 hours or less, depending on the conditions the body is in, then you can pin point within 15 mins the time of death by doing a "core temp" test. Since they was in an apartment, and not outside, depending on the indoor temp and supposely found within 12 hours of the incident. The cornerer should of been able to pin point it. But Li never took the body temp... And the cops said no one heard the shots... so where did the cops get that time of death? They had that time from the begining and it never changed.

Also in my way it went down. The person that shot them, shot them both in the head right off. Then tried to get the GSR on Kazime hands, which is the reason for the other 3 shots in Mcnair. The cornerer never tried to tell if any of the wounds was postmordem... in an interview the county cornerer said that stuff is on tv csi and not real life. I beg to differ. If those other 3 shots happened after Mcnairs heart stopped, then i say he should of known. Li did say he didnt notice the shot to Mcnairs left side of head, cause the one on the right made such a mess. I purport that the left wound didnt bleed since he was already dead, thats why there wasnt the running blood down that side that would of let him known of the other shot. Thus the reason he didnt notice it.

These points are rather weak i must admit, but in light of all else thats been going on ... they end up adding up.; Reply to this comment


by justice4nash October 23, 2009 11:47 PM EDT: oh here's a confirmed 2:00am report of Steve at blue moon. This sure makes that 2:15am text "I'm going to the store" valid and not the bull metro claims as server delays!

While Metro Police has reported that details are sketchy, NashvillePost.com sources say that at approximately 2 a.m. Saturday morning, McNair was celebrating the holiday weekend at the Blue Moon Restaurant near the John C. Tune Airport.

According to the same NashvillePost.com sources, a white woman in her early 20s, around 5-foot-4, approached McNair at the restaurant and accused him of slipping her a ?roofie? a year ago.

The woman then told McNair, according to sources, that her boyfriend was going to kill him.
http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/details-shed-new-light-mcnairs-death; Reply to this comment


by justice4nash October 23, 2009 11:37 PM EDT: local news sure tells a different tune then Metro

At approximately 9:30 p.m., McNair and a woman identified as Kazemi were outside the Losers nightclub, at 1911 Division St.

The couple was sitting in a black Cadillac Escalade and were spotted and approached by local fund-raiser and event promoter Brent Young. According to Young, Kazemi was sitting in the driver?s seat and McNair, who was in the passenger seat, got out of the vehicle to speak with him.

Kazemi stayed in the vehicle and Young says that while he waved at her, he did not speak with her.

According to Young, he and McNair spoke of how excited the former Titans quarterback was that his life was coming together again, and was excited about the opening of his new restaurant, Gridiron9. They spoke of Young putting together a grand opening party for him in the next few weeks and also of the possibility of McNair's participation in an upcoming charity golf tournament.

Asked to expand on McNair's condition and state of mind Young said that McNair was ?sober and in a great mood.?

At this point Young said that he invited McNair to stop by the nightclub Mai Nashville that evening for an event that he was attending.

Sometime after that conversation, Young says that he saw McNair and an unknown man enter Mai, at 125 12th Ave. N. Mai was hosting an event with musician Aaron Carter and his brother Nick of the group Backstreet Boys.

Kazemi was not in the club, according to Young, due to the fact that she was under age.

McNair apparently stayed a short time and left, heading toward the Blue Moon Lagoon Restaurant on Basswood Drive in the Rock Harbor Marina.

According to several NashvillePost.com sources, it is at Blue Moon Lagoon where McNair's evening took an ominous turn.

While sitting with friends at the restaurant (sources say that Kazemi was not in the party), a white woman in her early 20s, about 5-foot-4, approached McNair and accused him of slipping her a ?roofie? a year ago.

The woman then told McNair, according to sources, that her boyfriend was going to kill him.

Roofie is a slang term for Rohypnol, a sedative dating back to the early 1970s that is used in hospitals for deep sedation, but is now a fairly infamous date-rape drug.

After confronting McNair, sources say that the woman was asked to leave the restaurant. As of now, there is no known connection between the blonde woman's warning and the events that unfolded just a few hours later. It could well be an eerie coincidence. Still, Metro Police are interviewing patrons and staff members at Blue Moon Lagoon.

One of those in attendance at Blue Moon Lagoon was McNair's close friend Doug Crow. Crow is co-owner of popular Nashville restaurants, including The Crow?s Nest, The Corner Pub in the Woods, The Alley and Dalton's in Bellevue and The Corner Pub in Midtown.

Multiple attempts to reach Crow have been unsuccessful and friends tell NashvillePost.com that he has been "shattered" by the loss of what they called "his best friend Steve McNair."

Sources say that when McNair finally left the Blue Moon Lagoon in the early hours of July 4, Crow had a driver take McNair home. They say that the driver took McNair home alone.

http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/friends-paint-picture-mcnair-s-final-hours; Reply to this comment


by justice4nash October 23, 2009 11:32 PM EDT: maybe cbs could verify this local claim, the thread was started at 2:20pm central, before any breaking reports.
If true Steve was neither at the condo or dead around 1-1:30 as Metro claims in their summary.

I haven't taken the time to read all of this thread, and I'm sure a lot of this update is common knowledge. I did get more information from the 'friend' I listed in the OP. He was with McNair and Kazemi the night prior to the murder, and in fact he left the Blue Moon Lagoon around 0130, leaving McNair there. Kazemi was not with them there. This source (David) said McNair wasn't ready to leave when he was leaving. McNair called a limo that took him to the condo. David went on home. He got the call from the same guy that found the bodies, and was on his way over there, arriving at the same time the cops did. David and McNair were close friends. He said (and this is becoming more known now) that McNair and his wife have been seperated for almost a year. Michelle is renovating the family home in Mississippi and was awaiting the sale of the Green Hills home. Steve had the condo. When the house sold, Steve was staying in Nashville, Michelle and the boys were going to MS. Steve had been seeing Kazemi for 9 months, but had recently started seeing yet ANOTHER woman in the last couple of months. He was peparing to kick Kazemi to the curb, she knew it, and she just snapped. FWIW. David of course has been grilled by the cops, and is constantly being harrassed by the media. He in fact has left the state to get away from all of that.

http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/newsworthy-reports/23630-steve-mcnair-has-been-shot-33.html; Reply to this comment


by justice4nash October 23, 2009 11:26 PM EDT: I agree yellowtape they need to pull the phone, email, texts and possibly computers of many in this case. They need to go through them with a fine tooth comb and as you said connect the dots.
My list would be
Neely
Gaddy
Moreland
Gilliam
Norfleet
Steve
Mechelle
Charlie Cardwell
the taxi driver; Reply to this comment