Rap Mogul Irv Gotti Surrender to Feds in Drug Money Investigation
Saturday, January 29, 2005 at 08:27AM
TheSpook
The hip-hop label behind music
superstars Ashanti and Ja Rule was part of a murderous criminal
enterprise that protected its interstate crack and heroin operation
with calculated street assassinations, federal authorities charged
Wednesday. Label head Irv "Gotti" Lorenzo and his brother Christopher
surrendered to the FBI on money-laundering charges Wednesday as federal
prosecutors unsealed an indictment seeking to confiscate all the assets
of their label, The Inc. Their childhood friend, Kenneth "Supreme"
McGriff, one of New York's most notorious drug kingpins, was charged
with murder, racketeering and other crimes that prosecutors said were
intended to eliminate and intimidate potential witnesses. He already is
in prison on a relatively minor gun charge. Prosecutors believe McGriff
and the Lorenzos funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars in drug
profits through The Inc., a chart-topping label owned partly by Island
Def Jam, a Universal Music label. A Universal spokesman did not
immediately return a phone call seeking comment. Irv Gotti's lawyer,
Gerald Lefcourt, said The Inc. formerly known as Murder Inc. is a
legitimate business financed by cash from Island Def Jam. "It's just
unfortunate that this investigation has constantly been dragging
(Gotti) through the mud," Lefcourt said. "Ultimately, he will be
vindicated." [more]
Article originally appeared on (http://brownwatch.com/).
See website for complete article licensing information.