Leah Daniels-Butler (pictured above, right), sister of famed "Precious" director Lee Daniels (pictured above, left), was charged on Tuesday in Brooklyn for taking guns and cash out of her California home after her husband got busted last month for allegedly selling drugs.
Daniels-Butler's home near Thousand Oaks was placed under surveillance by the Ventura County Sheriff's office August 3 after her husband Henry Butler was arrested and charged with smuggling large amounts of cocaine from Los Angeles to New York using overnight shipping. A federal prosecutor was in the process of arranging a house search when Daniels-Butler was arrested.
The 44-year-old casting associate, who helped her brother discover newby actress Gabourey Sidibe the star of Precious, was seen carrying a suspicious-looking bag out of her home, then driving away in a late model Mercedes-Benz. Officers followed Daniels-Butler for a short while, then pulled her vehicle over. According to an affidavit filed by Drug Enforcement Administration agent Steven Miller, Daniels-Butler consented to the search of her car.
Police found a loaded 9-mm. handgun, an unloaded Intratec Tec-9 handgun, several loaded magazines and boxes of ammunition were found in the bag along with $39,500 in cash in the woman's vehicle.
Daniels-Butler whose casting film credits include "Phat Girlz," "ATL" and "The Cookout" was charged with obstructing a federal investigation and ordered to wear an ankle monitoring bracelet. She was released on $50,000 bail.
Police investigators believe, that the items found in Daniels-Butler's car were evidence of her husband's alleged drug trafficking.