Brooklyn rapper Casanova has pleaded guilty in a federal drugs and racketeering case concerning the Gorilla Stone Nation Gang, a group the U.S. Attorney’s Office asserts is connected with the Bloods. As part of his plea, Casanova (born Caswell Senior) admitted to “participating in a shooting in Florida on July 5, 2020, a robbery in New York City on August 5, 2018, and conspiring to traffic over 100 kilograms of marijuana,†per the a statement from the Justice Department. Casanova turned himself in December 3, 2020, after being indicted for multiple charges. According to Pitchfork, two previous charges of attempted murder and assault with a dangerous weapon were dismissed.
Casanova’s name came up in Tekashi 6ix9ine’s testimony against Nine Trey Gangster Bloods in 2019. Senior had maintained his innocence on social media, writing on Instagram, “I’ve been incarcerated for almost one year now, exhausted all remedies and spent a significant amount of money on legal fees to prove my innocence. The charges against me are false, they don’t represent or reflect the person that I am. They are simply using my past criminal history to crucify me in court.†Sentencing will take place December 6, where Senior could face up to 60 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum sentence of five years.