The second day of the Irv ‘Gotti’ and Chris Lorenzo trial got underway in Brooklyn yesterday, with the prosecution unveiling their star witness to testify in the Lorenzo brothers’ money laundering case.
Former Murder, Inc. employee Donell Nichols was called to the stand on Thursday, and revealed that in the six months he spent working with The Inc. in 2000, he witnessed a number of shady exchanges between the Lorenzo’s and convicted drug kingpin, Kenneth ‘Supreme’ McGriff. One of the incidents he recalled involved McGriff dropping off a plastic bag in Chris’ office, and later receiving a check in the name of McGriff’s company, Picture Perfect. Nichols said that this occurred three or four more times afterwards, with multiple checks being written out to Picture Perfect.
Nichols also told the courtroom that comments made in the Murder, Inc. offices led him to believe that the Lorenzo’s knew McGriff when they started the record label, refuting the defense’s earlier claims. He also accused another hip hop label, the Ruff Ryders, of having financial links to McGriff.
However, defense lawyer Gerald Shargel attempted to expose Nichols as a liar in his cross-examination, recounting several incidents in which Nichols is believed to have expanded on the truth or simply fabricated stories.
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The highlight of the trial so far, however, came when Shargel questioned Nichols about seeing Chris count $70,000 from a shoe box in fives and tens, bundling them up with rubber bands. He then passed Nichols a replica shoe box and $70,000 in prop money, and asked the former Inc. employee to put the money in the box. Nichols said it was ‘impossible’, arguing that he never specified the denomination. Shargel proceeded to read Nichols’ exact quotes from an interview with the prosecution, putting the fed’s star witness’ credibility at stake.
The trial continues…
Meanwhile, former Roc-A-Fella CEODamon Dash, showed his support for the Lorenzo brothers when he made an appearance at the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse yesterday morning. Producer 7 Aurelius and Murder, Inc. artists Black Child and Cadillac Tah also attended the second day of the trial.
