Latest news with #MurderInc
Black America Web
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Black America Web
10 Famous Figures Who Beat RICO Charges — Including Diddy
Source: Getty / Sean 'P Diddy' Combs Sean 'Diddy' Combs just dodged the biggest legal bullet of his life. In a ruling that dropped today, he was cleared of federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges tied to a sweeping RICO case. He was convicted on lesser counts, but the racketeering charge was the headline. And now, he joins a very exclusive group: public figures who've managed to beat the feds on RICO. If that sounds rare, it is. The RICO Act was designed to dismantle organized crime and criminal enterprises. Once the government charges you under RICO, they've usually spent years building the case. That's why beating it is such a tall order—and why it's national news when someone walks. Diddy's not the first, though. Murder Inc. co-founder Irv Gotti beat federal money-laundering and RICO charges tied to drug money. So did John Gotti, the so-called 'Teflon Don,' who beat multiple RICO trials before his eventual conviction. You've also got names like Jackie DiNorscio, a mob figure who famously represented himself in court—and won. And in the world of hip-hop, 6ix9ine avoided full conviction by flipping, taking a plea deal, and testifying. Whether it's music, mob ties, or viral trials, RICO cases make headlines because they're built to stick. But these 10 figures all found ways—some clean, some controversial—to walk away. And yes, Diddy's name now sits on that list. Diddy Verdict: Not Guilty On 3 Counts; Guilty On 2 Suge Knight Addresses Diddy's Sex Trafficking Trial: 'Tell The Real Truth, And Bring Everybody Accountable' Here Are Some Notable Moments Of Black Culture In 2025 10 Famous Figures Who Beat RICO Charges — Including Diddy was originally published on DJ Drama and Don Cannon were hit with RICO charges in 2007 after an Atlanta raid seized over 80,000 mixtapes. But remarkably, they beat the charges and never served prison time. Partially cleared: acquitted of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges, convicted on lesser prostitution counts in 2025.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ja Rule Claps Back at 50 Cent After Irv Gotti Disrespect: ‘Go Ahead and Lie'
Ja Rule has fired back at his longtime nemesis 50 Cent after the latter made disrespectful comments about the late Irv Gotti. On Sunday, Ja hopped on X to fire a few shots at 50 Cent, who clowned Ja's appearance on The Breakfast Club last week. During that interview, Ja had told The Breakfast Club that Kenneth 'Supreme' McGriff talked him out of fighting with the G-Unit leader after Fif uploaded a picture of himself smoking hookah next to Irv Gotti's faux gravestone. Ja Rule, who has had beef with 50 Cent dating back years, said the antics made him want to go 'nuclear,' which 50 Cent clowned almost immediately. More from Billboard Ja Rule on 50 Cent Mocking Irv Gotti's Death: 'I Was Ready to Go Nuclear' Katy Perry Posts Video of Her Blue Origin Flight Featuring Outer Space Reveal of Tour Setlist Lil Nas X Reveals Partial Paralysis of Right Side of His Face: 'I Can't Even Laugh Right' 'The Breakfast Club should be ashamed of themselves asking questions that perpetuate violence,' 50 wrote on IG. 'This fool has been ready to go what he calls nuclear for 22 years. LOL.' 50 Cent then continued to clown the late Murder Inc. CEO by adding: 'Ya man in my Runtz right now!' In his tweets, Ja told 50 to 'suck my di–' and demanded he shut his mouth until he do something about the people that shot him back in 2000. 'Until you do something to the n—as that shot you you can't troll no more…,' Ja wrote in the tweets below. '[Laughing face emoji] handle your business chump lmao…' He went on to say: '@50cent N—a you're a used car salesman everything you do is trash music 1 good album after that trash liquor trash tv shows yeah I said it TRASH how many times you gonna make the same show that coke stepped on parenting trash character trash n—a you the garbage man.' Ja closed things out by insinuating 50 Cent cooperated with the feds. 'From now on your name boo boo that's what they called you on the streets right lmfao,' Ja Rule wrote. 'Boo boo the fool… [laughing face emoji] 50 cent is a street n—a from Brooklyn you boo boo from Queens… Mc gusto cb4 a– n—a. You're right he told the Feds murder inc had him shot and they put us under federal indictment… [rat emoji]…@50cent Go ahead and lie tell these good people tell the paperwork fake so I can send this next shot… WE GOT RECEIPTS boo boo…' 50 Cent has yet to respond to Ja Rule's incendiary allegations, though he's previously denied snitching on anyone in Murder Inc. 'They'll say, 'He a rat' or, 'He this, this and that.' All you gotta do is ask them who I told on?' 50 Cent said on the Cigar Talk podcast in 2020. 'I ain't never told on no n—a in my life.' See all the tweets below. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
CRIME HUNTER: New Mafia movie Alto Knights focuses on Costello-Genovese war
'This is for you, Frank,' the young hitman snarled before firing at mob boss Frank Costello outside New York's Waldorf-Astoria. The bullet only grazed Costello – known as the Prime Minister of the Underworld for his diplomatic skills – but it was enough to send him into retirement, leaving the reins of the Luciano Crime Family to arch-rival Vito Genovese. The rivalry between the two gangsters is the premise of a new mob movie, Alto Knights, starring Robert DeNiro playing both arch-criminals. In addition to DeNiro, the crime drama also stars Debra Messing, Cosmo Jarvis, Kathrine Narducci, and Michael Rispoli. The film – directed by Barry Levinson and was written by Nick Pileggi, who also penned GoodFellas – was out Friday. *** The year 1957 was a blockbuster year in the American underworld. Costello was hit in May by up-and-coming gangster Vincent 'The Chin' Gigante, later called The Oddfather by the New York tabloids. Costello never pointed the finger at 'The Chin' and decades later the former boxer would become boss of the Genovese family. Once Costello was out of the way, the greedy, violent and ambitious Genovese was looking to tie up loose ends. One of those loose ends was Albert Anastasia. Known as the Mad Hatter and Lord High Executioner for his volatile demeanour, the 55-year-old ran what would become the Gambino crime family. 'A glare from Genovese's dark eyes from beneath bushy eyebrows intimidated the bravest mafioso,' mob expert Selwyn Raab wrote in Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires. Costello found himself in the Genovese's crosshairs. The bloodthirsty rebel wanted to be capo di tutti capi – boss of bosses. That meant taking over the commission, the board of directors of the national crime syndicate. Genovese and Carlo Gambino decided to take out Murder Inc. founder Anastasia. On Oct. 25, 1957, while getting a shave in the barber shop of New York's posh Park-Sheraton Hotel, two gunmen entered and shot Anastasia to death as he rested in the barber's chair. Everything was going Genovese's way. Three weeks later, on Nov. 14, 1957, Genovese ordered a summit of the nation's mafia leaders for what he hoped would be his coronation. The meet would be held at the rural home of mobster Joseph 'Joe the Barber' Barbara in Apalachin, New York, west of Binghampton. On the agenda were drugs, loansharking, Cuba and divvying up the spoils of Albert Anastasia's empire. Around 100 mobsters from the U.S., Canada and Italy were in attendance. Then it all came off the rails when a local state trooper noticed all the limos with out-of-state licence plates. Cops moved in and more than 60 gangland czars were pinched. Some were jailed, and some were hit with hefty fines, but the true damage was that Cosa Nostra was no longer in the shadows. The debacle was the beginning of the end for Genovese. *** Vito Genovese's throbbing resentment toward Costello went back nearly three decades, according to author Tony DeStefano, who wrote the 2018 book Top Hoodlum: Frank Costello Prime Minister of The Mafia, followed in 2021 by The Deadly Don: Vito Genovese, Mafia Boss. Both criminals had been under the command of Mafia visionary Lucky Luciano during the days of prohibition. 'I think the main problem was that Genovese felt envious of Costello, who was the more polished, politically connected and more astute businessman,' the author said. 'For those reasons, Costello was given the leadership of the family by Luciano after Genovese left for Europe in the face of the murder rap.' And that grated on the petty Genovese. 'Upon his return to New York City in 1945, [Genovese] realized he had missed out on many opportunities in the rackets and wanted Costello to compensate him a share, which didn't happen,' DeStefano told MobMuseum. He added: 'Genovese saw Costello in the 1950s as the main impediment to his control of the family. So Genovese got Gigante to try and kill Costello in the failed assassination attempt.' *** Genovese's ride at the top didn't last long. In 1959, the cold-blooded killer was convicted on narcotics conspiracy charges for peddling heroin. There has long been a belief among cops and gangsters alike that Genovese was set up by his old boss, Lucky Luciano. According to the narrative, Luciano – by then living in exile in Rome – had soured on Genovese for his machinations and belief he was bad for business. So the mobster paid $100,000 to a Puerto Rican dope dealer to falsely implicate his former protege. Genovese got 15 years in the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary. There, he gave longtime trusted soldier Joe Valachi the infamous kiss of death. Valachi flipped and gave the feds a birds-eye view of the Cosa Nostra's inner workings and with the publication of the Valachi Papers, a pop culture star. Genovese died of a heart attack in 1969. HUNTER: Mob-like Morris Conte dismemberment murder a personal affair LAMEFELLAS: Mafia bosses moan about 'low' calibre aspiring wiseguys MOB WAR: Bloodbath feared in Mafia heartland after scion's murder *** Unlike Genovese, Costello remained respected elder statesman in the underworld. The Godfather character of Don Vito Corleone was long-reputed to be based on Costello. Four years after Genovese pegged out in a Missouri prison, death came for the Prime Minister of the Underworld. Costello died quietly of natural causes in 1973. He was 82. 'If ever there was an organized crime figure who came out pretty good, it was Frank Costello,' screenwriter Nick Pileggi said. bhunter@ @HunterTOSun
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ja Rule, Jay-Z pay respects at Irv Gotti's funeral
Friends and family of the late music czar Irving 'Irv Gotti' Lorenzo have attended the Murder Inc founder's funeral service. In a post shared by TNT, Gotti's artist and good friend, Ja Rule, is seen emotionally remembering the mogul who brought him, DMX and JAY-Z to Def Jam Records, essentially saving the label in the mid-late 1990s. "I just want to say, Irv, I love you, everyone in this room loves you. You touched everybody in their own way. Everyone had their moment with that, with him," the Put It On Me rapper expressed through tears. "We're here, at the celebration of your life, because it will live on forever. "I love you, my brother. See you when I get there," Rule concluded before stepping down from the pulpit. Gotti's service brought out a host of stars who filled the pews at the Greater Allen AME Cathedral Church in Jamaica, Queens. Alongside his family, TMZ reports his Murder Inc. artists Ja Rule, Ashanti, Lloyd, Charli Baltimore and Vita were all present, as were Jay-Z, Fat Joe, Steve Stoute, Hype Williams, Benny Boom, Angie Martinez, the Ruff Ryders and more. Gotti died on 5 February. While an official cause of death has not yet been released, he reportedly suffered a second stroke following a first one last August that reportedly caused a brain bleed. He was 54.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ja Rule chokes up at Irv Gotti's funeral while delivering eulogy in front of Jay-Z: ‘See you when I get there'
Ja Rule struggled to get through his speech at Irv Gotti's funeral following the Murder Inc. co-founder's sudden death. The 'Put It On Me' rapper, 48, choked up as he delivered a heartfelt eulogy to celebrate his longtime friend in front of the hip-hop's finest at the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York on Wednesday. A video on X showed that Ja Rule had trouble getting his words out. With a shaky voice, the star addressed his late friend. 'Irv, I love you. Everyone in this room loves you. You touched everybody in your own ways, and I know everybody has their moments of that with him,' Ja Rule said while looking above. Holding back tears, he concluded, 'We're all here in celebration of your life because it will live on forever. I love you, my brother. See you when I get there.' Jay-Z, Ashanti, Fat Joe, the Ruff Ryders, Hype Williams, Lloyd, Benny Boom, radio personality Angie Martinez, and more were also present at the funeral and clapped for Ja Rule after his speech. Jay-Z — who recently celebrated a huge legal victory — sat in the front row to show his support. Photos from inside Gotti's star-studded funeral revealed the music mogul's career was highlighted at the somber gathering. Posters from some of Gotti's famous photo shoots were displayed around the church. A rose display reading 'The Inc Records' was also part of the funeral. Journalist Brian ' Miller shared a look at the funeral program, which featured a black-and-white image of the late record exec and his real name: Irving Lorenzo Jr. Following the ceremony, Gotti's family and A-list friends gave him a final sendoff with a procession through his neighborhood in Queens, where they stopped at his childhood home and a park that was dear to his heart, reported TMZ. The music legend passed away on February 5 at age 54 after reportedly suffering a second stroke in less than a year. Lyor Cohen, global head of music at YouTube and Google, said in a statement to The Post, 'Def Jam has lost one of its most creative soldiers. He was hip-hop, and when we were on bended knee he brought the heat and saved our asses. He comes from a very tight, beautiful family from Queens and it's an honor and a privilege to have known him. Irv you will be missed.' Gotti had been struggling with his health after being diagnosed with diabetes, sharing in 2024 that the disease was 'deteriorating my body.' In August 2024, Gotti's rep confirmed he had a 'minor stroke' after Wack 100 leaked photos showing him using a cane. 'Irv has been struggling with diabetes for years, which caused him to have a minor stroke over six months ago,' the rep told TMZ at the time. 'He has since changed his diet to eating more healthy. He's been successful in making a full recovery. Irv is not in a rehab facility. He is at home with his family, enjoying life.' Gotti was a pioneer in the rap community, co-founding Murder Inc. Records in 1998 and signing several major rappers to the label, like Jay-Z, the late DMX, Ja Rule, Ashanti and Lloyd. He was a credited producer on several '90s/early '00s hits, including DMX's first studio album, 'It's Dark and Hell is Hot' (1998), Ja Rules' 'Between Me and You' (2000), Ashanti's 'Foolish' (2002), Fat Joe's 'What's Luv' (2002) and more. Following his death, Ashanti shared that she wished they had made amends after their fallout, which caused her to leave the label in 2009. 'I can't believe things ended like this….and it makes me so sad…We weren't on the best terms the past few years but as I've always said, through our ups and downs I will forever be grateful for everything that you've done for me,' the singer said in part. While Ashanti showed Gotti nothing but love after his death, 50 Cent mocked his passing. Gotti's Murder Inc. publicly feuded with 50 Cent's G-Unit Records for years.
