Irv Gotti Surrenders to Feds

According to the feds, rap mogul Irv "Gotti" Lorenzo wasn't just making music over at The Inc.

After being under investigation for years, the label head and his brother, Christopher, surrendered to the FBI Wednesday on charges of money laundering.

Federal prosecutors charged that the label, whose roster includes superstars Ashanti and Ja Rule, was part of a criminal ring that carried out street assassinations to protect interstate heroin and crack operations headed by Gotti's childhood buddy Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, an infamous drug kingpin.

According to the indictment, the Gotti brothers and McGriff funneled more than $1 million in drug money through The Inc., which is a branch of Def Jam records.

Authorities charge that McGriff delivered his drug proceeds to the label's New York offices and in exchange, Gotti took care of McGriff's travel and hotel expenses and cut the kingpin checks out of his personal and business accounts.

The indictments come two years after authorities first raided the label to determine whether such shady shenanigans were taking place.

"They don't call it gangsta rap for nothing--the thug image isn't accidental," New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said at a press conference Wednesday.

Kelly added that "this is not an indictment of rap music. If you're involved with money laundering or drug dealing or committing murder, we're coming after you, irrespective of [the music]. That's our business."

McGriff, who is already in jail on a gun charge, was charged with murder, racketeering, illegal use of a firearm and drug distribution. Eight of his associates were also indicted, including Ja Rule's manager, Ron "Gutta" Robinson, and former Inc. bookkeeper Cynthia Brent, both of whom were charged with money laundering in November.

Neither Ja Rule nor Ashanti was named in the indictment.

Both the Gotti brothers pleaded not guilty in federal court in Brooklyn and were released Wednesday afternoon on $1 million bonds. They face up to 20 years in prison on the money laundering charges, while McGriff faces the death penalty for homicide.

The drug lord is believed to be responsible for multiple murders, including the killings of drug dealer Karon Clarrett and his friend Dwayne Thomas in 2001, rapper Eric "E-Moneybags" Smith in 2001 and rapper Gerard "D.O. Cannon" Fields in 2003.

McGriff is notorious for founding the Supreme Team, once one of New York's most violent drug cartels. He was released from jail in 1997 after serving nine years for conspiracy drug charges and allegedly set about rapidly reviving his illicit enterprise.

He is currently behind bars serving time concurrently on two separate gun charges; three years for possessing a gun as a convicted felon in 2003 and five years for gun possession in New York in 2001. His lawyer has speculated that he would have been up for parole next year.

The Gottis' defense lawyer said that he felt his clients had been unfairly targeted for trying to help a friend from their tough childhood neighborhood. The attorney said he believed they would be vindicated.

"I grew up poor from the streets so I have friends, whatever, like that. So I don't look bad at them for thinking ill things about me," Gotti said as he left court. "No way, in any way, shape or form have I done anything wrong, except make great music that the people seem to love, and that's all that I'm guilty of."

Gotti founded The Inc. in 1997 as Murder, Inc., the self-proclaimed "most dangerous record company." He changed the label's name last year to deflect negative publicity from the investigation.