Casanova, a New York rapper, is one of 18 people indicted for alleged gang crimes, including extortion, murder, drugs, firearms and fraud.
Current U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss and other law enforcement officials issued a statement on Tuesday saying that members of the Gang of the Untouchable Gorilla Stone Nation “have committed horrific acts of violence, trafficking drugs and even brazen scams by exploiting benefit programs designed to provide assistance in response to the COVID 19 pandemic.
According to the statement, 17 of the 18 people named in the indictment are in custody.
But then the New York FBI office twittered a picture of Casanova, whose legal name is Caswell Senior, and said he was still wanted.
Who is Casanova?
Casanova is a 34-year-old rapper from Brooklyn who is currently under contract with the record company Roc Nation.
He told Revolt Radio’s The Breakfast Club how he got involved in gang life from an early age before spending eight years in prison, where his roommate was later discovered as rapper ASAP Rocky.
The label’s website features a biography of the rapper, which states: “Casanova’s sovereign presence was shaped by his Flatbush upbringing, where he learned to deal with a variety of people and situations at an early age.
“Although his family offered him a beautiful home and everything he wanted as a child, the corrupting appeal of instant gratification and the high level of acceptance by his peers led him to commit robberies from the age of 11.
The biography stated that he never aspired to a music career, but when he spent some time in the studio with a few people, he found success almost instantly with songs like “Don’t Run”.
It read: “Rap became a viable career option after “It Go Down When You Trappin”, and his interpretation of Yo Gettis hit “Down in the DM” from 2015 led to appearances in clubs – which led to money.
“Don’t Run”, his first original song, was released in 2016, and the aggressive warning shot set the radio and club scenes in New York City on fire.
The rapper’s name surfaced during Tekashi 6ix9ine’s bombastic testimony against his former Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods members in September 2019.
The real name of Tekashi 6ix9ine, Daniel Hernandez, testified that his crew had clashed with other artists, including Casanova, who he claimed was part of “another” Bloods group.
The couple had reportedly had an ongoing feud, and in October Casanova said he confronted 6ix9ine with comments he had made.
Casanova told the Hot97 Morning Show: “He took trolling to a whole new level. But at the end of the day, when I spoke to him, he said: “Cas, I don’t even know you. He spoke real English. And I said, “This is really a little kid.
Why is he wanted by the FBI?
On December 1, Casanova was among the 18 suspected members of the Gang of the Untouchable Gorilla Stone Nation, against whom a number of charges were brought.
The rapper himself was charged with conspiracy to commit criminal acts, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession of firearms.
However, officials said that only 17 of 18 suspects were in custody.
We are still looking for Caswell Senior, alias Casanova, in connection with this case. He has connections to both NY and NJ. If you have information about his whereabouts, please call us at 1-800-CALL-FBI. pic.twitter.com/W38fCnBFpt.
– FBI New York (@NewYorkFBI) December 1, 2020
At 6:30 p.m. ET on December 1, the FBI said Casanova was still at large when they tweeted: “We are still looking for Caswell Senior, aka Casanova, in connection with this case.
“He has connections to both NY and NJ. If you have any information about his whereabouts, please call us at 1-800-CALL-FBI” around 6:30 p.m. The other 17 defendants were in custody.”
Washington Newsday contacted Roc Nation and the rapper’s representative to comment.
What is in the indictment:
The names contained in the indictment are Dwight Reid aka “Dick Wolf,” Christopher Erskine aka “Beagle,” Walter Luster aka “Shells,” Deshawn Thomas aka “Don,” Naya Austin aka “Baby,” Brandon Nieves aka “Untouchable Point,” Ahmed Walker aka “Ammunition, Brandon Soto aka “Stacks”, Dezon Washington aka “Blakk”, Robert Woods aka “Blakk Rob”, Stephen Hugh aka “Chino”, Jordan Ingram aka “Flo” Shanay Outlaw aka “Easy”, Isaiah Santos aka “Zay”, Roberta Sligh aka “Trouble” and Brinae Thornton aka “Luxury”.
The indictment states that Brandon Soto was charged in connection with the killing of a minor on September 21 in Poughkeepsie, New York.
The others were charged in connection with charges including assault, drug trafficking and possession of a firearm.
Naya Austin and Shanay Outlaw are accused of mistakenly using other people’s identity information to apply for unemployment benefits under COVID.
This was also alleged in the indictment: “Members and employees of the company encouraged and celebrated the criminal behavior of the company, namely the distribution of narcotics, acts of violence and the use of firearms, through music and social media.
said Strauss in a statement: “As alleged in the indictment, members of Gorilla Stone have committed horrific acts of violence, trafficking in narcotics and even brazenly deceiving the public by exploiting benefit programs designed to provide assistance in response to the COVID 19 pandemic.
“This affected communities throughout the Southern District-from Poughkeepsie to Peekskill to New York City. Most shocking, as the indictment claims, is that a minor was murdered to promote the gang’s activities.
FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney, Jr. also said: “As the indictment alleges, the violence and drug activities committed by these gang members endangered the security of our communities and put innocent lives at risk.
“Their outrageous criminal behavior included, as alleged, the murder of a 15-year-old boy and even extended to fraud programs designed for people who are suffering economic hardship due to the pandemic.
