Authorities raid offices of Murder Inc.
Irv Gotti | Federal authorities raided the New York City offices of the record label Murder Inc. as part of an investigation into music mogul Irv Gotti, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday. A federal task force searched the label's offices early Friday, seizing computers and documents, the newspaper said. The label represents such stars as Ashanti and Ja Rule and has produced hit singles with Jennifer Lopez and Mariah Carey.
The task force has been formed to investigate whether Gotti, whose real name is Irving Lorenzo, has financial ties to Kenneth McGriff, the convicted head of a drug gang called the Supreme Team, the Times said. The two grew up in the same Brooklyn neighborhood, and McGriff produced and co-wrote Murder Inc.'s first film, "Crime Partners 2000".
Investigators were also trying to determine whether Gotti used money from drug trafficking to launch his music-industry career, the Times said. The newspaper also quoted anonymous sources who said officials were examining allegations of money laundering and gang ties and a recent series of violent attacks in the rap music world.
During the 1980s, McGriff became famous in crime circles for organizing the Supreme Team street gang, which ran the crack cocaine trade in Jamaica, Queens. The gang, which had more than 100 members, made more than $200,000 a day selling crack and terrorized the neighborhood in armor-plated vehicles, according to court records.
In 1988, the government arrested most of the gang's leaders, including McGriff, on various charges. McGriff was convicted on federal narcotics conspiracy charges and served 10 years in prison. In July 2001, McGriff was arrested when police recovered two loaded weapons and more than $10,000 in cash from his vehicle. He pleaded guilty to gun possession in September.
Gotti joined Def Jam's artist and repertoire division in 1995, discovering DMX and bringing in Jay-Z. The two rap acts have sold millions of CDs for the label. In 1999, Def Jam gave Gotti more than $3 million to launch Murder Inc. (Herald Tribune)
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