Casanova was sentenced to more than 15 years in prison for his involvement in a comprehensive RICO case that surfaced in 2020.
Judge Philip M. Halpern sentenced the rapper to 188 months behind bars on Tuesday (June 27). Casanova landed in prison for offenses committed as a member of the Untouchable Gorilla Stone gang.
Casanova and the gang were implicated in a slew of crimes, including drug trafficking, violent assaults and the murder of a 15-year-old boy in Upstate New York.
“Caswell Senior is not just a notorious recording artist, but he is also a high-profile leader of a vicious street gang and a magnet for gang violence,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said. “At a crowded Miami house party, Senior personally fired a gun that seriously injured and could have killed a victim, inciting a shootout. Further, Senior’s stature in the community was central to Gorilla Stone’s successful recruitment and nationwide expansion. Today’s sentencing — along with the other significant sentences that have been imposed in this case — shows once again that gang life is not worth it and will lead to many years in prison.”
The rapper was initially charged with racketeering conspiracy, attempted murder, intent to manufacture and distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Casanova pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to conduct and participate in the affairs of a criminal enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity and one count of conspiracy to distribute over 100 kilograms of marijuana. To reduce his sentence, Casanova renounced his membership in the Untouchable Gorilla Stone Nation and expressed his desire to dissociate from the gang.
As a result, Casanova was attacked within the confines of Essex County Jail on June 14. He suffered numerous injuries necessitating stitches on his head and hands.
His lawyer, James Kousouros, argued that Casanova’s public repudiation of the gang threatened his life and pressed for a lighter sentence for his client. But the judge gave the rapper more than 15 years in prison.