Earlier this week, news broke that a member of Bobby Shmurda‘s GS9 crew, 24-year-old Rashid “Rasha” Derissant, had been sentenced to 98 years in prison after being convicted of attempted murder and murder charges in April. Derissant is just one of 13 GS9 members facing jail time after they were arrested as the result of a sting operation in Manhattan studios in December of 2014.
Though Shmurda’s trial isn’t scheduled to begin until this fall, his crew mates have begun to meet their respective fates, and another sentence was handed down today in court. 22-year-old Alex Crandon, convicted of conspiracy, murder and attempted murder charges in Manhattan Supreme Court, has been sentenced to 53 years in prison, despite desperate in-court pleas for another opportunity at freedom. “Please allow me the opportunity to become a productive citizen and raise my daughter to become one also,” said Crandon in court according to the NY Daily News.
The judge heard his pleas, but was unmoved, retorting that Crandon “gave up irrevocably the opportunity to get another shot at a good life.” Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan added in a statement, “The residents of East Flatbush should feel safer, because the defendant will no longer be able to terrorize their streets.”
Several other members of GS9 will continue to get their days in court as the year progresses, many of whom face charges similar to the ones Crandon and Derissant have been convicted of, including Bobby Shmurda, who has been jailed since the night of his arrest.
