Rapster funded gangs to kill on his orders, prosecutors say
The rapper Sheff G paid cash for the group of nine whom he treated to dinner at a high-end steakhouse in Manhattan in October 2020.
Prosecutors say the celebratory dinner was a reward for carrying out a shooting spree against a rival gang two days before killing one man and wounding five others.
Sheff G, whose real name is Michael Williams, was “celebrating the score,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said at a news conference Tuesday. One of Mr. Williams’ musical associates, Tegan Chambers, known as Sleepy Hallow, was also there, Mr. Gonzalez said.
Mr Williams and Mr Chambers, drill rappers who have amassed more than 100 million views and streams on YouTube and Spotify, were among 32 people charged in a 140-count charge announced at the press conference.
Williams, 24, who moved from Flatbush, Brooklyn, to a mansion in Short Hills, NJ, has made time for gun ownership, but as his music career took off — bringing him fame, money, and record deals — prosecutors said he also funded two gangs, the 8 Trey Crips and 9 Ways, that operated in several Brooklyn neighborhoods, including Flatbush, East Flatbush, and Canarsie.
“This alliance waged war against their mutual enemies,” Mr. Gonzalez said.
Mr Williams’ lawyer, Mitchell Elman, declined to comment on Tuesday afternoon.
Authorities launched the investigation after the October 2020 shooting, and it grew to 12 shootings with 13 victims, one of whom died, officials said. Nineteen firearms were seized.
As of Tuesday afternoon, 24 of the defendants were in custody and were arraigned in the Brooklyn Supreme Court on charges including manslaughter, possession of weapons and assault. If convicted, Mr. Williams could face up to 25 years in prison, Mr. Gonzalez said.
In a similar gang dismantling in November, the prosecutor charged 32 people they say were linked to rival gangs caught up in a cycle of violence that resulted in the death of two members and the injury of 14 people.
At the press conference, Mayor Eric Adams said the Brooklyn indictment was evidence of law enforcement’s way of targeting the small group of “extremely violent” individuals who perpetuate gun violence in New York.
The charges against Mr Williams and Mr Chambers were not their first encounter with the criminal justice system.
Mr Williams is serving a prison sentence for criminal possession of weapons and was eligible for parole in June. He was one of five drill rappers removed from the local edition of the Rolling Loud hip-hop festival in 2019 at the request of police officials, who were concerned about safety.
Mr. Chambers, 23, was released from prison in February after serving nearly eight months for gun possession.
The latest charges against the group, including Mr Williams’ sister Crystal Williams, span several years and two dozen violent incidents, Mr Gonzalez said.
One episode began in April 2021 when a rival gang shot at Mr. Williams’ Short Hills mansion where he and his closest allies lived, prosecutors said. The next day, members of Mr. Williams’ gang shot at a member of the 8 Trey who they believed had betrayed Mr. Williams by giving his New Jersey address to rivals, authorities said.
They opened fire on a Flatbush sidewalk, instead hitting two bystanders — a 53-year-old man and a 43-year-old woman.
About two months later, in June 2021, prosecutors said 10 people kidnapped the same gang member and took them to a cemetery, where they beat him, only stopping when someone reported them to police, prosecutors said.
Much of what the gangs did was possible thanks to Mr Williams’ money, officials said. For acts of violence, Mr Williams would give cash rewards, features in his music videos and the promise of music contracts, prosecutors said.
“With such a large following, individuals want to impress them,” said Jason Savino, the head of the Gun Violence Suppression Division, adding, “They were idolized by so many and feared by so many.”