In more upsetting news for Murder Inc., federal investigators reportedly suspected that employees of the record label conspired with drug kingpin Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff to kill 50 Cent, according to legal documents released Tuesday (September 6).
A search warrant affidavit from 2003 published on The Smoking Gun Web site revealed that the murder was allegedly planned as retaliation for a
song 50 Cent wrote that addressed McGriff’s drug history.
Officials have also investigated whether the still unsolved murder of Run DMC DJ Jam Master Jay, who was shot in 2002 at a Queens recording studio, was a result of him violating the music industry’s supposed blacklist of 50 Cent, the documents revealed.
In the affidavit, IRS criminal investigator Francis Mace wrote that law enforcement suspected 50 Cent’s shooting in May 2000 to be payback for
his song “Ghetto Koran.”
Investigators believed that Inc. employees continued to aid McGriff in trying to murder 50 Cent after he endured a 2000 shooting, Mace stated.
Feds reportedly seized about 150,000 text messages from Skytel Communications, according to court documents, including a message from
Inc. head Irv Gotti’s brother, Christopher Lorenzo, stating “50 is in the hood guy r. brewer!”
Mace wrote that the text messages were sent to McGriff by Inc. employees who were trailing 50 Cent.
Prior to being exposed, the documents were concealed in a motion filed by Irv Gotti’s defense attorney last week.
McGriff’s previous attorney, Robert Simels said the document was “much ado about nothing” and that the government has presumably dismissed the claims, according to New York Newsday.
Christopher and Irv’s current defense attorney Gerald Shargel also questioned the strength of the documents, stating that Christopher would
have been charged with a crime if authorities had sufficient evidence concerning the plot.
The Lorenzos are expected to go on trial next month on charges of laundering more than $1 million of drug money through the Inc.
