The famous Brooklyn rapper, Michael Williams, 25, known as ‘Sheff G’, was indicted by the Brooklyn District Attorney this Tuesday for leading and financing a gang of gang members associated with shootings and murders. A finding that directs the City’s gaze towards the presence of messages on certain platforms, which could be linked in some way, with certain criminal movements.
The musician, who has millions of followers on social media, was among 32 members of 8 Trey Crips and the affiliated gang 9 Ways, linked to second degree murder, attempted murder, conspiracy, possession of weapons, assault, attempted assault , kidnapping, gang assault and related crimes, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office.
According to the investigations, Williams offered money and expensive jewelry to those who committed the acts of violence.
“Sheff G is not an aspiring rapper. He has gold records. A lot of money and more than 100 million visits on social networks,” said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric González.
Indeed, several videos circulating on social networks starring the young man now formally accused as a gang member, show images that glorify violence and scenes of young people displaying jewelry and mountains of money in luxurious homes.
The accusation presented by the prosecutors also demonstrates, through surveillance cameras, a shooting in which this important exponent of hip-hop born in Brooklyn, coordinated a group of three gunmen, took them to the scene of the crime. and then acted as the getaway driver.
“The gun violence allegedly committed by these defendants terrorized our neighbors for years and left more than a dozen people seriously injured. It is distressing to know that part of this violence was allegedly fueled by a young man who used money from a successful music career to encourage acts of violence,” the prosecutor reported.
Another alert on social networks
For his part, Mayor Eric Adams, at the press conference where details of this criminal investigation were presented, again charged against the expansion of messages of violence that are going viral through some social platforms.
“I remain a faithful believer that certain social platforms, specifically Tik Tok, are a time bomb where certain criminal groups can promote messages that become popular. I want to clarify that it is not about generalizing and even less about qualifying rap as a genre of criminals. Rather, pointing out the individuals who gain power in these networks, to promote violent messages and dangerous challenges. Unfortunately, we have seen that all this tries to be duplicated, by the youngest”, the president reasoned.
gang war
Regarding the records that the prosecutor’s office disclosed, regarding the alleged actions of the music creator, there is a shooting recorded on October 21, 2020. Investigations show that Kamondre Dekattu, one of those involved in this criminal group, was captured in a surveillance video coming out of the sunroof of a vehicle opening fire, while other people were also shooting from the vehicle unit.
In that confrontation, a suspected rival to the band known as Folk Nation, 23-year-old Theodore Senior, was killed. Five other of his allies were wounded.
Dekattu is indicted for this murder and his accomplices, including Williams and his sister, Crystal Williams, are accused of being part of the conspiracy to commit this crime and many more.
Two days after the murder, Michael Williams is alleged to have hosted a lavish dinner party with his “colleagues” from the 8 Trey Crips and 9 Ways criminal organizations at a Manhattan restaurant to celebrate the death of Theodore Senior.
“Sheff G used a lot of the money he earned to facilitate more gang activity. He encouraged young people to participate in violent crimes,” reinforced spokespersons for the prosecution.
Gonzalez said gang members, including another rapper, known as “Sleepy Hallow,” are accused of committing 27 acts of violence and crimes between March 2019 and the present, including using stolen cars during shootings to Grow your territory and increase your reputation.
The gang used approximately 37 firearms, 19 of which were recovered by police, to carry out 12 shootings of 13 victims, including three innocent bystanders.
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Michael Williams, born in Flatbush in Brooklyn and artistically known as ‘Sheff G’, is considered one of the greatest exponents of the ‘Brooklyn Drill’, which is a regional subgenre of rap, centered in Brooklyn, that began as a derivative of the scene musical drill in Chicago and later became a spin-off of UK drill.