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SENATOR SAVED DALLAS AUSTIN FROM DUBAI PRISON: Utah Republican Orrin Hatch swoops in after receiving call on the bat phone.
Surprise. Austin attends church Sunday
*The latest twist in the Dallas Austin Dubai debacle is proof positive that the entertainment industry is as much about who you know as it is who you are.
As the producer sat behind bars in a United Arab Emirates jail on drug charges, his attorneys were sending an SOS out to U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Republican from the Mormon-heavy state of Utah. On Saturday, his staff released a statement confirming that the lawmaker called the ambassador and consul of the United Arab Emirates in Washington on Austin's behalf and helped to secure his release.
But why Orrin Hatch?
Apparently, the politician carries much weight in the UAE. According to the New York Times, he supported the Dubai-based DP World this year in its bid to manage several American ports.
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Senator Orrin Hatch
Despite being Dubai-friendly, Hatch, like Austin, has ties to the record industry. While Austin has spent his career crafting hits for the likes of TLC, Usher, Madonna and Pink, the senator has been busy writing and recording hundreds of religious and patriotic songs. Hatch’s spokesman Peter Carr was unsure if the pair ever had any personal dealings with each other, but he did confirm that both employ Atlanta entertainment lawyer Joel A Katz.
Katz and Washington attorney Joe Reeder traveled to Dubai to try to secure Austin's release, The Times reported in a story published Saturday. Lionel Richie and Quincy Jones also intervened as character references, the paper reported.
Austin was arrested May 19 and convicted of drug possession for bringing 1.26 grams of cocaine into Dubai. On Tuesday, the 34-year-old was sentenced to four years in jail, only to be pardoned and released hours later by Dubai ruler Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
In a statement, Hatch said he was "grateful to the leaders of Dubai for agreeing to provide a workable and compassionate solution for this situation." He also said he was confident Austin "will learn from this experience."
Meanwhile, as one can imagine, it's situations like the one Austin found himself in that'll make you wanna just plain go to church and thank the Lord for your blessing. And according to AJC.com's Sonia Murray, that's exactly what he did. Austin, along with Katz attended Word of Faith Family Worship Center in Austell Sunday morning.
The report says that pastor Bishop Dale Bronner acknowledged Austin and Katz from the pulpit, and they were shown on the church's big-screen monitor. But Austin, who was there with his mother and other members of his family, did not address the congregation.
