A New York Metropolis hip-hop artist who appeared subsequent to President Donald Trump throughout a rally within the Bronx final yr has been sentenced to 5 years in jail for gang-related actions, Brooklyn District Lawyer Eric Gonzalez announced Wednesday.
Michael Williams, 26, recognized professionally as Sheff G, was amongst many who had been accused of gang-related shootings and possessing weapons, in keeping with the discharge. He was charged alongside one other fashionable rapper, Tegan Chambers, higher generally known as Sleepy Hallow.
Williams was vocal about his assist for Trump throughout his 2024 presidential marketing campaign and made a visitor look on stage at a Trump rally in May.
“They’re at all times going to whisper your accomplishments and shout your failures,” Williams instructed the group on the time. “Trump goes to shout the wins for all of us.”
Williams took a plea deal on Wednesday, pleading responsible to a number of counts of second-degree tried homicide and second- and fourth-degree conspiracy. In alternate, he was sentenced to 5 years in jail and 5 years’ post-release supervision, in keeping with the assertion from the district legal professional’s workplace.
The press launch mentioned Williams was a member of 8 Trey Crips and its affiliate, the 9 Methods gang. The rapper “used the earnings from his music profession to gas gun violence in Brooklyn, by providing cash and giving costly jewellery to those that dedicated acts of violence,” the assertion continued.
Nonetheless, Williams’ involvement “went past merely providing cash to commit acts of violence,” the assertion mentioned, including that he was a getaway driver in one of many gang-related shootings.
A lot of Williams’ co-defendants’ acts of violence had been additionally allegedly captured on surveillance movies. He and his alleged fellow gang members had even “boasted about their felony actions on social media and in textual content messages, discussing acts of violence and taking credit score for shootings and an assault,” in keeping with the district legal professional’s workplace.
In a single occasion, Williams was named as a co-conspirator in a 2020 mass taking pictures that killed an alleged member of a rival gang and injured 5 others, in keeping with the discharge. He despatched a textual content message an hour after the taking pictures saying that the 8 Trey Crips and 9 Methods had scored towards their rivals, the assertion mentioned.
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Williams “hosted a lavish dinner” along with his fellow gang members two days later together with Chambers, in keeping with the discharge.
“Notoriety couldn’t defend this defendant from justice,” Gonzalez mentioned. “He used his fame to fund and direct violence, terrorizing our streets, and although we sought a for much longer sentence, he’ll now be held to account.”
Williams’ legal professional, Arthur Aidala, told The Associated Press that after “cautious assessment of the proof and onerous consideration,” the 2 of them determined that the plea deal was in “the perfect curiosity of everybody concerned.”
