Federal prosecutors
are focusing on multi-platinum rapper Ja Rule in their ongoing investigation of
record label The Inc. and the company’s alleged ties to Queens, New York
drug dealer Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff.
According to the New York Post, Ja Rule and two bodyguards face
possible federal charges including “conspiracy to commit murder,”
after a shooting in December of 2004 left one man dead and another injured.
The charges stem from a December 27, 2004 incident at a club
in New York where Ja Rule was celebrating a post-Christmas party.
Surveillance tape recorded Ja Rule and his entourage leaving
Club LQ as William “Willie Bang Bang” Clark, 39 and Troy Moore,
37, were entering the venue.
Sources told AllHipHop.com it was well known on the streets
that Clark aka “Billy Bang” and Moore were allegedly behind a string
of robberies involving celebrity rap stars, including one of Foxy Brown’s
brothers.
Moore is cooperating with authorities in an attempt to avoid
gun charges. Also, Moore is the elder brother of Tyran “Tah Tah”
Moore, who is already linked to the murder, money laundering and drug dealing
probe of Irv Gotti’s record label, The Inc. by federal investigators.
Some of the incidents were never reported to police, who are
investigating several other record labels and artists as well the Post reported.
Footage seized by the NYPD of the club’s parking lot captured
Ja Rule’s vehicle starting to leave as Clark and Moore arrived.
The vehicle stopped as one of the bodyguards ran to the side
of the saying to the other: “come with me it’s going down.”
One of the bodyguards then exited the vehicle and as Ja Rule’s
vehicle pulled away, the two men open fired, fatally wounding Clark and injuring
Moore.
According to the Post, authorities believe that Ja Rule’s
bodyguards were enraged that the men came to the party, given their notorious
reputations.
Ja Rule denied involvement in the shooting previously and his
lawyer, Murray Richman also denied that his client was involved.
"There’s no truth to this matter and I am confident Ja
Rule has enough sense to not be involved in this type of situation," Richman
told AllHipHop.com.
Sources told AllHipHop.com that an investigation into various
New York Hip-Hop record labels started as early as 1996, when police noticed
unnamed Brooklyn men attach themselves to rappers and other entertainers.
Soon afterwards
the “Hip-Hop Intelligence Unit” was created to monitor the Hip-Hop
industry in New York.
That quickly
spread to other cities across the country including California, New York, Georgia
and Miami, due to authorities belief that the rap industry was organizing along
the lines of traditional organized crime.