NEWSRapper Casanova Surrenders In Gang-Related Case, Gorilla Stone Is 'Not Untouchable'
New York City rapper Casanova has turned himself in to the feds following his indictment in a gang-related federal racketeering case, according to authorities' reports on Thursday, December 3.
There are 17 other defendants named in the indictment; all had been apprehended on Tuesday, December 1, and all are alleged members of the Untouchable Gorilla Stone Nation gang, according to federal prosecutors. The FBI tweeted on Tuesday that they were actively on the lookout for Casanova, who at the time was still eluding capture.
The gang is charged with a slate of nasty crimes, including the killing in September of a 15-year-old boy, plus messing around with financial relief avenues meant for people suffering economic hardship due to the pandemic.
Casanova (real name Caswell Senior), 34, who is signed to Roc Nation, ended up turning himself in late on Wednesday. He pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit racketeering, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and firearms possession. He escaped charges regarding the killing of the teenager, so doesn't have to answer to that.
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Acting U.S. attorney Audrey Strauss said in a statement that the gang had "committed 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."
FBI assistant director William F. Sweeney Jr. added, "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.'"
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According to his bio at Roc Nation, Casanova took a turn for illegal activity an early age. "Although his family provided him with a nice home and everything he wanted as a child, the corrupting allure of instant gratification and the high of peer acceptance had him committing robberies by the age of 11," it states. "Casanova’s taste for crime finally caught up with him in 2006, when he was sent to prison at 19 on a robbery conviction."
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The rapper's name recently came up during fellow rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine's infamous testimony against his former gang associates in September 2019. He claimed that Casanova was in a rival gang and the two courted a feud against each other.
