Murder Inc's Irv and Chris Gotti Are Acquitted - Today in Hip-Hop

On this day, Dec. 2, in hip-hop history...

2005: Thirteen years ago today, in Brooklyn's federal courthouse, Murder Inc. founders Irv and Chris Lorenzo Gotti were acquitted of all counts of money laundering. The two were accused of conducting a financial transaction involving the proceeds of specified unlawful activity and conspiracy of committing money laundering with funds allegedly supplied by convicted drug lord Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, an individual the two brothers claimed they grew up with in Queens, N.Y. Prosecutors claimed Murder Inc. poured thousands of dollars into phony corporations controlled by McGriff, including Picture Perfect Films, a film company that produced a movie called Crime Partners.

After the verdict was announced, Irv Gotti proclaimed “Me and my Inc. family, you’re going to be hearing some music. I’m overjoyed. I am not getting in any more trouble — you can bet your bottom dollar on that one. Not even jaywalking. We never did anything. We were guilty of knowing someone from our neighborhood.”

In the years since, the label would never reach its pre-trial heights, with flagship artists like Ja Rule and Ashanti eventually parting ways with the imprint. However, there appears to be a comeback brewing. In early 2017, Irv announced he was relaunching The Inc., via 300 Entertainment. He's also partnered with BET on Tales, a televison series based on real stories from the Hip-Hop world.

See 22 Hip-Hop-Related Police Raids