This is some real monkey business.
Rapper Casanova allegedly promoted his ties to a violent street gang by posting images of diamond-encrusted gorilla pendants on social media, prosecutors wrote in a memo urging a judge to hold him and most of his associates without bail.
Casanova, whose real name is Caswell Senior, pleaded not guilty Thursday at his arraignment on racketeering conspiracy, narcotics conspiracy and firearms possession charges for his role in the Untouchable Gorilla Stone Nation gang.
An indictment was unsealed Tuesday in White Plains federal court charging 18 gang members with crimes ranging from murder and assault to narcotics trafficking.
“Using his public platform, he has amplified the message of the gang — both through his music and his social media profiles,” wrote Assistant US Attorney Shiva Logarajah.
He allegedly posted a photo of a pair of diamond-encrusted gorilla pendants, one on horseback, to his Instagram account in July. In another post, he stands beside an oversized mural of a gorilla, the motion states.
In addition to the simian bling, he appeared on a “gang anthem” over the summer called “Big Ape,” which has garnered over 1.8 million views on YouTube and features other gang members, the filing states.
“Senior has closely coordinated his artistic endeavors to benefit the gang,” Logarajah wrote. “Prison calls allegedly show that Senior forks over some of his earnings to alleged gang founder Dwight Reid aka Dick Wolf.”
Reid, who is also charged in the indictment, is serving a 50-year-to-life sentence for 2014 murder.
Senior, 34, has twice been convicted of first-degree robbery and has admitted in interviews to stabbing other inmates while locked up, according to the court papers.
The “Jail Call” rhymer currently has a pending robbery case in Manhattan state court for allegedly snatching the cell phone of a fellow diner at a Chelsea restaurant in 2018 after he mistakenly thought she’d taken a video of him. His pal and co-defendant Bobby Williams allegedly placed the victim in a chokehold until she lost consciousness and fell to the floor.
Prosecutors allege the Senior is also a “drug supplier” for Gorilla Stone using two other members as dealers to move his product in New York.
The “Don’t Run” rapper, who turned himself in Wednesday night after taking a swig of Hennessy, faces a minimum of 15 years in prison.