After pleading guilty last year to federal racketeering charges, Casanova has been sentenced to 188 months in prison. The New York rapper born Caswell Senior could have been sentenced to up to 60 years in prison. Along with the federal prison sentence, Casanova was ordered to forfeit $50,000 and he will be subject to four years of supervised release.
In a statement to Pitchfork, James Kousouros, an attorney for Casanova, said, “While we advocated for a sentence below the guidelines, we were gratified that the Court sentenced Mr. Senior at the lowest end of the guidelines especially given the other sentences imposed in this case. Mr. Senior accepted responsibility for his conduct and is committed to moving forward with his positive message and with the loving support of his friends and family.”
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a statement, “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.”
Casanova was accused by the federal government of holding a “leadership role” in the Untouchable Gorilla Stone Nation Bloods Gang. He agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiring to conduct and participate in the conduct of the affairs of a criminal enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity and one count of conspiring to distribute over 100 kilograms of marijuana.
A little over a year before he was indicted, Casanova released his debut studio album, Behind These Scars.