'Pure Mayhem': Brooklyn Rap Star Named In Massive Gang Bust: DA

BROOKLYN, NY — A local rap star with an RCA Records deal is among dozens charged with gang violence that saw one person shot dead and a dozen others wounded, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced Tuesday.

Rapper Michael "Sheff G" Williams — dubbed the "lion of New York's hottest drill collective" —is one of 32 people named in a 140-count indictment that includes charges of assault, kidnapping, car theft and murder, prosecutors said.

"Much of the violence perpetrated by this gang was made possible because Michael Williams had a lot of cash," Gonzalez said.

The indictment covers 12 shootings over the course of five years, including a fatal shooting on Hawthorne Street in 2020 and an April 2021 shooting that saw two "innocent bystanders" — a 53-year-old woman and a 43-year-old woman — shot, prosecutors said.

The gang violence was mostly concentrated in central Brooklyn, spanning from Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Canarsie, Brownsville and Flatbush, where the rap artist grew up, said Gonzalez.

"He's a Brooklyn kid," the District Attorney added. "We believe he became gang involved at a very young age.

"The charges center around two Central Brooklyn gangs — 8 Trey Crips and 9 Ways — who collected a small arsenal of weaponry, according to prosecutors.

"We believe 32 firearms were used or possessed by these gang members," Gonzalez said."I am confident that this will improve public safety."

Sheff G, the 24-year-old founder of the "Winners Circle Entertainment" collective, is not the only rapper named in the indictment.

Tegan "Sleepy Hallow" Chambers, 23, helmed the group alongside Williams, Gonzalez said.

"These are fairly prominent musicians," Gonzalez said."Quite honestly if you ask your children if they're listening to these guys, you'll hear Sheff G and Tegan Chambers, Sleepy Hallow, on their playlist."

Mayor Eric Adams' made an appearance at Tuesday's press conference, during which hizzener cast blame on social media platforms he fears help gangs plot and escalate violence.

"I'm strongly a believer that TikTok is a ticking bomb," Adams said. "There's a duplication of a behavior that is spreading like a cancer in our communities."