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 Legal professional 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 line with the discharge. He was charged alongside one other in style rapper, Tegan Chambers, higher often called Sleepy Hallow.
Williams was vocal about his help for Trump throughout his 2024 presidential marketing campaign and made a visitor look on stage at a Trump rally in May.
“They’re all the time 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 change, he was sentenced to 5 years in jail and 5 years’ post-release supervision, in line with the assertion from the district lawyer’s workplace.
The press launch stated 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.
Nevertheless, Williams’ involvement “went past merely providing cash to commit acts of violence,” the assertion stated, 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 legal actions on social media and in textual content messages, discussing acts of violence and taking credit score for shootings and an assault,” in line with the district lawyer’s workplace.
In a single occasion, Williams was named as a co-conspirator in a 2020 mass capturing that killed an alleged member of a rival gang and injured 5 others, in line with the discharge. He despatched a textual content message an hour after the capturing saying that the 8 Trey Crips and 9 Methods had scored towards their rivals, the assertion stated.
Williams “hosted a lavish dinner” along with his fellow gang members two days later together with Chambers, in line with the discharge.
“Notoriety couldn’t protect this defendant from justice,” Gonzalez stated. “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’ lawyer, Arthur Aidala, told The Associated Press that after “cautious evaluation of the proof and laborious consideration,” the 2 of them determined that the plea deal was in “the perfect curiosity of everybody concerned.”
