Brooklyn rapper Sheff G, who appeared with former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally last year, was sentenced Wednesday to five years in prison after admitting he used his music career earnings to bankroll gang violence.
Sheff G, whose legal name is Michael Williams, also will serve five years of supervised release. He agreed to the sentence earlier this year when he pleaded guilty to attempted murder and conspiracy. Prosecutors had pushed for a 20-year term.
“This defendant had talent and opportunity, but chose to use them to fuel violence instead of building a better future,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said.
Williams, 27, rose to fame with songs that drew millions of views on YouTube and streams on Spotify. His arrest stemmed from a long-running investigation into shootings tied to the 8 Trey Crips and its affiliate, the 9 Ways gang.
Authorities say Williams financed the group by providing money and jewelry. He was accused of driving co-defendants to a 2021 shooting that struck two bystanders instead of the intended target. Prosecutors also said he treated gang members to a Manhattan steakhouse dinner to celebrate a 2020 attack that left one person dead and five others injured.
More than 30 alleged gang members were indicted in the case. Twenty-three have pleaded guilty, while seven cases remain open.
Another rapper, Tegan Chambers, known as Sleepy Hallow, was sentenced last week to a year in jail after pleading guilty to conspiracy. He also appeared with Williams and Trump at a May 2024 rally in the Bronx.
Williams’ lawyer, Arthur Aidala, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday but has said previously that the plea deal was in the “best interest of everyone involved.”
