Exclusive: Sheff G Begins Prison Term With Chance for Early Release

Brooklyn drill rap star Sheff G, born Michael Williams, reported to Brooklyn Criminal Court today to begin serving a five-year prison sentence tied to a gang conspiracy case that has shadowed him for nearly two years.

Williams was first indicted in May 2023 alongside 31 others, including fellow rapper Sleepy Hallow, in what prosecutors described as a sweeping organized crime investigation. At the time, prosecutors sought heavy penalties, and in court again this morning, they renewed their call for Williams to serve 20 years in prison.

The judge ultimately rejected that push. Instead, Judge Chun upheld the plea deal Williams entered in March 2025, which sentenced him to five years for attempted murder and conspiracy charges. Because of time already served and the possibility of good behavior, the ruling leaves open the chance that Williams could walk free in just two and a half years.

That potential early release was made possible in part by community service work Williams performed while out on bail. Entertainment attorney and advocate Allen DeWane, who has worked with the rapper though not as his legal representative, said he presented those efforts directly to the court.

Sheff G’s Service May Cut Sentence Short

“Moments ago, I just left Brooklyn, NY Criminal Court where Brooklyn Drill Rap music star Sheff G turned himself in to begin serving time in prison,” DeWane told HOT97. “This morning the Prosecutors were asking that Sheff G serve twenty (20) years in prison! … But since March 2025 I have been doing community service projects with Sheff G. The judge took into consideration the wonderful community service work that I have been doing with Sheff G while he has been out on bail.”

Among those projects were visits to Boys and Girls Clubs in Albany and appearances in New York City, including the United Nations’ Barbados Consulate, where Williams spoke out against gun violence both locally and in the Caribbean.

In a character letter submitted to Judge Chun, DeWane highlighted those contributions, writing: “Michael is a platinum-selling recording artist who uses his fame as a music star to help inspire at-risk youth to not repeat the mistakes that led to his current legal troubles… Of particular note was Michael speaking at the United Nations’ Barbados consulate during an event to address gun violence both in the Caribbean and here in the USA.”

For DeWane, the outcome represents a critical turning point. “With good behavior Sheff G may be out in just two and a half years,” he said—a possibility that would cut the rapper’s sentence in half and allow one of Brooklyn’s most prominent drill voices to return to the community much sooner than prosecutors intended.