An affidavit filed by the Internal Revenue Service
in the United States Eastern District of New York alleges that Murder Inc. is
secretly controlled by Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, the former head
of a Queens, New York drug gang known as "Supreme Team," whom the
IRS claims set 50 Cent up to be shot.
IRS agent Francis Mace stated in the affidavit
that when McGriff was released from prison in 1995, he resumed his "criminal
activity."
"McGriff began transporting narcotics from
New York to the Baltimore, Maryland area among other locations. Thereafter,
in an effort to launder his drug money, McGriff helped found the Murder Inc.
record label, utilizing the proceeds from his drug empire," Mace alleges.
The affidavit states that McGriff’s "drug
trafficking activities are confirmed by among other things, his lengthy history
of narcotics-related offenses, information provided by reliable, confidential
informants and text messages transmitted on a two-way pager paid for by Murder
Inc."
Mace said that during his investigation, he found
that McGriff has not paid taxes in the past six years and that Murder Inc. nor
any other company has filed any documents declaring McGriff an employee. "Simply
put, McGriff has no known source of income."
"In addition, the investigation has revealed
McGriff’s involvement in several highly publicized shootings and homicides related
to the narcotics trafficking and the rap industry. Murder Inc. in turn exploits
McGriff’s notoriety for business advantage, instilling fear in members of the
music industry."
Mace also charges that McGriff ordered 50 Cent’s
shooting, because he wrote a song exposing McGriff’s criminal activities.
Mace goes on to say that a confidential witness,
known as "CW-1," who knows both McGriff and Gotti, claims that Gotti
is merely the public face of Murder Inc and that McGriff is the real power behind
the company.
Irv Gotti cannot comment due to the ongoing investigation,
but in an exclusive interview in March, Island/Def Jam Chairman Lyor Cohen denied
the ink or Supreme were involved in any wrong doing.
“Supreme paid his debt to society,” Cohen told
AllHipHop.com. “He was simply trying to get into business. All of a sudden everybody
gets broadsided with this.”
“I know Irv’s situation, I know all the details,”
Cohen continued. “The feds have been investigating this for 4 months. They have
every bit of information and I don’t think they will find any wrong doing. Irv
is not a criminal.”
