Casanova And 18 Others Charged With Racketeering
New York rapper Casanova is facing a slew of serious criminal charges after being indicted with 17 other alleged gang members. One person has yet to be put into custody.
The FBI announced on Tuesday (Dec 1) that Casanova, 34, whose real name is Caswell Senior, and the other defendants in the case are allegedly members of the Untouchable Gorilla Stone Nation street gang.
U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss and other officials issued a collective statement saying the gang members are being accused of committing “terrible acts of violence, trafficked in narcotics, and even engaged in brazen fraud by exploiting benefits programs meant to provide assistance in response to the COVID-19 pandemic."
Other defendants in the case have charges including assault, identity theft, attempted murder, and murder. Brandon Soto, who’s also named as “Stacks,” has been charged in connection the the murder of a minor in Poughkeepsie, NY on Sept 21.
Naya Austin and Shanay Outlaw, who are known as “Baby” and “Easy” respectively, have been charged with the filing of fraudulent applications in order to get COVID-19 unemployment benefits.
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FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. said in the official statement, “As the indictment alleges, the violence and drug activity committed by these gang members threatened the safety of our communities and placed innocent lives at risk,” it reads.
“But thanks to the partnership and hard work of all law enforcement agencies involved in this investigation, we were able to stop this violent criminal organization - and show that Gorilla Stone is actually not ‘untouchable.”
Casanova is currently signed to Roc Nation.
