Wu-Tang Clan. A Criminal Empire?

You cannot be a hip-hop head and not know about the Wu-Tang Clan. They put East Coast hip-hop back on the map before the Late Notorious B.I.G to the torch and crown and ran with it.

hip-hop collective from Staten Island that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group. They were formed in (and are associated with) the New York City borough of Staten Island (referred to by members as "Shaolin"), though some of their members are from Brooklyn and one is from The Bronx.

But newly released FBI files contend the clan wasn't only a rap group -- it was a criminal enterprise, linked to murder, guns and drugs.

"The detectives have documented, in their case files, that the Wu Tang Clan is heavily involved in the sale of drugs, illegal guns, weapons possession, murder, carjackings, and other types of crime," read an FBI memo from August 1999, citing detectives from the North Shore's 120th Precinct, in St. George.

The portrait of the group -- which was formed in Clifton's Park Hill neighborhood -- emerged in a 93-page federal file on late member Ol' Dirty Bastard (ODB), whose real name was Russell Jones.

The FBI file was released upon request to blogger Rich Jones, who posted the documents online. Such documents become public record after a person's death. You can read all the documents by checking out this story on silive.com/news.

The 1999 memo links members of the group to the Dec. 30, 1997, murder of Staten Islander Robert (Pooh) Johnson, described in the files as "an associate with WTC who had a falling out with the group."

Johnson, 23, of West Brighton, who had just been released from prison, was gunned down in Clifton by two assailants wearing ski masks.

An Advance story on the murder reported that police had no leads. "Johnson was found just a few feet away from a semi-automatic gun," it read. "Authorities say it is unknown whether the gunfound near Johnson belonged to him or his killers, who fledtoward Van Duzer Street in a dark-colored sport utility vehicle."

According to the documents, the gun used in the killing was traced to clan-connected members in Steubenville, Ohio, where another man was killed the following summer.

The documents also relate an incident in which Jones was charged with attempted murder of a police officer during a shootout in Brooklyn (a grand jury declined to indict in the case) and other incidents, including money laundering and carjacking.


Here is a link for the FBI File ----->  http://www.scribd.com/embeds/77581648/content?start_page=1&view_mode=list