New York rapper who joined Trump in campaign rally pleads guilty to
attempted murder
[March 28, 2025]
By PHILIP MARCELO
NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City rapper who joined President Donald Trump
during a campaign rally last year has pleaded guilty to attempted murder
and conspiracy charges after prosecutors say he used earnings from his
music career to fuel gang violence in Brooklyn.
Sheff G, whose legal name is Michael Williams, agreed to serve five
years in prison as part of the plea entered in a Brooklyn court
Wednesday, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said.
“Notoriety could not shield this defendant from justice,” Gonzalez said
in a statement. “He used his fame to fund and direct violence,
terrorizing our streets.”
The 26-year-old rapper, whose songs and videos have millions of YouTube
views and Spotify streams, was among those arrested in connection with a
long-term investigation into gang-related shootings in the New York City
borough of Brooklyn.
More than 30 purported members of the 8 Trey Crips and the street gang's
affiliate, the 9 Ways gang, have so far been indicted.
Among them is Tegan Chambers, a rapper known as Sleepy Hallow who also
appeared on stage with Trump and Sheff G during the May 23, 2024, rally
in the Bronx.
Prosecutors say Sheff G showered money and jewelry on gang members as
they battled rivals in Brooklyn.
They say the rapper even acted as a getaway driver on at least one
occasion, chauffeuring three codefendants to and from a 2021 shooting
that targeted a rival but instead hit two bystanders.
Sheff G also treated Sleepy Hallow and others to a lavish dinner at a
Manhattan steakhouse to celebrate a 2020 shooting that killed a
purported rival gang member and injured five others, according to
prosecutors.
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Rappers Sheff G, right, also known as Michael Williams, and
Sleepy Hallow, center, also known as Tegan Chambers, join the
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump
during a campaign rally in the south Bronx, Thursday, May. 23, 2024,
in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)
Surveillance videos, social media posts, text messages and more
document the criminal activities, and the two rappers also boasted
about their misdeeds in their songs, Gonzalez's office said.
Sheff G's lawyer Arthur Aidala said Thursday that his client decided
the plea deal was in the “best interest of everyone involved” after
“careful review of the evidence and hard consideration.”
The rapper is due to be sentenced Aug. 13. Sleepy Hallow, whose
layer didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment, is
due in court April 11.
The two were among the notable names Trump touted during his
campaign stops as he worked to woo Black voters by comparing his
legal challenges to racial prejudice in the criminal justice system.
“One thing I want to say: They are always going to whisper your
accomplishments and shout your failures,” Sheff G told the Bronx
crowd last May after being invited on stage by the Republican
candidate. “Trump is going to shout the wins for all of us.”
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