A rap song from two years ago has come back to haunt a young Queens man being prosecuted for alleged gang ties. Sean Chung, 20, had been out on bail following his arrest on murder and conspiracy charges in 2014, but was remanded to Riker's last month after a judge learned that he made a rap video on YouTube that included a threat to DA Richard Brown.
Rapping as JP Smoov on the song "Kar," Chung reportedly sang the lyrics, "Tell the judge to get off my cock, put the DA in a box." (The song does not appear to be on YouTube any longer, but there is one rap video from a user named Sean Chung here.)
The video was uploaded to YouTube in November, and Chung was sent back to Riker's on February 22nd. After a week in Rikers, he was attacked from behind and stabbed in the head by two Riker's inmates.
Chung's lawyer, Audrey Thomas, says her client had been trying to turn his life around, having re-enrolled in college and finding religion. Thomas tells the Daily News that the song predates Chung's arrest by two years, adding, "He’s been rapping since he was 15, he was arrested at 18. Whatever happened to the First Amendment? Why is it that Mr. Chung goes to jail on remand status when Donald Trump can... threaten to murder the families of terrorists?"
Thomas plans to appeal the judge's decision today. Her client still faces up to 25 years in prison for his alleged participation in the Queens-based SNOW Gang's murder plots.
