The 'Get the Strap' rapper, who is signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation label, is facing life in prison if convicted of conspiracy to commit gang-related racketeering and a number of other charges.
- December 4, 2020
AceShowbiz - Embattled rapper Casanova has surrendered to federal authorities after he was charged with gang-related racketeering.
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York named Casanova, born Caswell Senior, in an indictment alongside 17 other alleged members of the Untouchable Gorilla Stone Nation Gang, accusing them of having "committed murder, shootings, robberies, and assaults against their rivals and against fellow members of Gorilla Stone."
They are also alleged to have been involved in drug trafficking around the Big Apple.
Casanova was the only suspect who had yet to be taken into custody when the news hit headlines on Wednesday (December 02), and hours after FBI officials tweeted out a wanted notice, he turned himself in to the New York Police Department's Midtown South Precinct, where he was handed over to federal agents.
The 34-year-old faces life in prison if convicted of conspiracy to commit racketeering, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, following an alleged drug conspiracy which is said to have been running for the past decade.
A lawyer for the "Get the Strap" rapper, who is signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation label, has since taken to Twitter to express his client's innocence.
After disputing claims Casanova had been "on the run," James Kousouros wrote, "Mr. Senior is fully confident that he'll be exonerated when all the facts are brought forth."
He was due to face the charges in court on Thursday.
Casanova also addressed the charges before he surrendered. In a video shared by his homie Brash 2X, he said, "As you already know, I'm facing serious charges right now. But I'm innocent. That's one. Two, I've been fighting my whole life so I'll get through this. Just understand how they could get you jammed up -- you don't know nobody, you ain't got nothing to do with nothin', they can still get you jammed up. Rappers, we are a target. Just be careful out there, watch who you associate with, watch who you bring around. I'll see y'all soon, god willing."
