Yet another one:
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Li'l Kim charged in rap-rivalry shootout
By Lisa Sweetingham
Court TV
Thursday, April 15, 2004 Posted: 4:23 PM EDT (2023 GMT)
NEW YORK (Court TV) -- Rapper Lil' Kim turned herself in to authorities Wednesday morning after being charged with lying to a grand jury about a three-year-old shootout between members of her entourage and those of rival rap duo Capone-N-Noreaga.
Lil' Kim, whose real name is Kimberly Jones, is one of four defendants named in the 25-page, 17-count indictment handed down by U.S. Attorney David Kelley.
Jones is charged with conspiracy to commit perjury, obstruction of justice, and three counts each of making false statements and perjuring herself during three separate appearances before a grand jury that was investigating a February 2001 shooting in front of a Manhattan hip-hop radio station.
"These charges are baseless and I'm confident that the case against her will be completely dismissed," her lawyer, Mel Sachs, told reporters.
Jones' co-defendants, members of her rap "family," Jr. M.A.F.I.A., include Damion Butler, aka D-Roc, Suif Jackson, aka Gutta, and Monique Dopwell, aka Mo Betta. The alleged shooters, Butler and Jackson, have previous convictions on unrelated felony firearm charges and now face additional gun charges.
Although Jones is not a suspect in the shooting, she faces a maximum prison sentence of five years on the conspiracy charge, five years for each perjury count, five years on each false statement count and 10 years for obstruction of justice, as well as fines of at least $250,000.
The trouble began on the Sunday afternoon of February 25, 2001. As Jones was exiting Hot 97's Greenwich Village station after a guest appearance, members of Capone-N-Noreaga's entourage were arriving.
Investigators say that, while Jones and Dopwell were standing by, Butler, Jackson and at least one other person fired shots at the rival group outside the radio station, putting one man, Efrain Ocasio, in the hospital with a bullet in his back.
Jackson is also charged with firing an illegally obtained fully automatic Mac-11 machine gun. Ocasio was treated for his gunshot wounds and later released.
The rivalry apparently stemmed from insults that Kiam Holley, aka Capone, and rap diva Inga Merchand, aka Foxy Brown, slung at Jones on the song "Bang Bang," from Capone-N-Noreaga's 2000 album, "The Reunion."
According to earlier press reports, a surveillance video camera on the scene showed Jones and several men, possibly the shooters, scrambling into the back of her black limousine and fleeing the scene. Butler, Dopwell and Jones, met up that evening at Jones' New Jersey home, according to the indictment.
Butler, who was a close friend of rapper Biggie Smalls, aka Notorious B.I.G., developed a relationship with Jones and became her manager after Smalls was murdered in 1997. Jones refers to Butler as "my brother, my best friend" in the liner notes to her album, "The Notorious Kim."
Jackson, who was also a close friend of both Smalls and Jones, often spent the night at Jones' New Jersey home, according to the indictment.
But when Jones was shown a picture of Jackson during a grand jury investigation on June 19, 2003, she denied having a friendship with him.
"I think I have seen him, but I don't know him too well," Jones said, "I don't know his name."
"Where do you think you have seen him?" asked the investigator, who is not identified in the indictment.
"I have seen him around. He has a familiar face."
"Has he ever been to your home?"
"No," Jones replied.
When asked whether Butler was present on the day of the shooting, Jones answered, "Yeah ? no, I am not positive."
Later, after more questioning about whether she had seen Butler at any time during or after the shooting, Jones replied, "That's what you asked me before and I said the same thing."
"And you did not see him?" asked the investigator. "Is that what you are saying?"
"I did not see him," said Jones.
Jones was to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon before Magistrate Judge Debra Freeman. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Gerard Lynch, and a pretrial conference is scheduled for April 16.