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New York rapper Casanova, who was indicted along with 17 others in a gang case announced on Tuesday, surrendered to police on Wednesday evening, authorities said.
Casanova, real name Caswell Senior, was among members of the “Untouchable Gorilla Stone Nation” gang who allegedly committed crimes in New York and the state, including the September murder of a 15-year-old in Poughkeepsie .
Casanova is not charged with murder but faces one count each of conspiracy to commit racketeering; conspiracy to distribute controlled substances; and one charge of possession of firearms, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan.
Casanova, 34, went to the NYPD around 11:15 p.m. Wednesday, the police department confirmed.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges on Thursday and is in custody while a bail proposal is in the works, his lawyer said.
“Mr. Senior is convinced that the truth will emerge and [that] he will be exonerated, ”wrote Casanova’s lawyer James Kousouros in an email Thursday evening.
He is accused of distributing drugs including crack, cocaine and marijuana, according to the indictment. The charge alleges that he and others possessed a firearm during a drug trafficking offense.
The charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison, according to the US prosecutor’s office.
The rapper was the only one of 18 people charged not to be detained when the indictment was announced on Tuesday. The FBI in New York tweeted Tuesday who were looking for him.
His lawyer said the indictment was sealed when others were arrested.
“He became aware of the accusations and immediately contacted a lawyer to organize his surrender. He did not run away or hide despite the seriousness of these accusations,” Kousouros said.
Prosecutors allege a wide range of crimes against gang members throughout the case, including racketeering, narcotics, firearms and fraud charges. The acting US prosecutor said the crimes had impacted communities “from Poughkeepsie to Peekskill to New York.”
“Gorilla Stone members have committed terrible acts of violence, trafficked narcotics and even indulged in brazen fraud by operating benefit programs designed to provide assistance in response to the COVID-19 pandemic Said Audrey Strauss, Acting US District Attorney. in a statement Tuesday.
The indictment generally sets the timeframe from at least 2010 until today.
Casanova grew up in Flatbush, Brooklyn, and is known for such hits as “Don’t Run” and “Set Trippin”.
The Associated Press contributed.
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