Rapper Cardi B’s pregnant best friend has been charged in a sweeping Bloods gang takedown, accused of racketeering conspiracy and assault.
The 28-year-old Star Brim, born Yonette Respass, was named among 18 members of the 5-9 Brims, a violent set of the Bloods street gang, in an indictment and criminal complaint that were unsealed on Tuesday in federal court in Brooklyn.
According to the indictment, Respass is accused of being the ‘godmother’ of the 5-9 Brims, or highest-ranking female member. She is said to have taken part in a racketeering conspiracy and ordering a slashing.
Rapper Cardi B’s close friend, Yonette Respass, 28, also known as Star Brim, has been charged with racketeering conspiracy and assault. She is said to be the highest-ranking female members of the 5-9 Brims gang (pictured together with Cardi in August 2019)
Acting as the gang’s ‘godmother,’ Respass allegedly ordered a vicious attack on two female bartenders at the Angels strip club in Queens in August 2018
Respass, who is believed to be just days away from giving birth to her first child, won’t be arrested until sometime after her delivery.
Prosecutors and Respass’ attorneys are expected to reach an agreement on her surrender at a later date.
The indictment alleges that on August 15, 2018, Respass, who was serving a sentence in a federal prison at the time, ordered a vicious attack on a bartender at the Angels nightclub in Flushing, Queens, who had failed to show proper respect to another gang member.
Sisters Rachel and Sarah Wattley, known by the names Baddie Gi (left) and Jade (right), were allegedly attacked twice: once at Respass’ command, and a second time on the orders of Cardi B, who suspected one of them of having sex with her husband
The jailed Respass, according to the court document, ‘commissioned her younger female members, referred to as ‘drops,’ to ‘pop that bottle’ on the bartenders, stating ‘I want hands put on them. I don’t even want no talking.”
Respass has not been arrested because she is due to give birth in a matter of days
That night, fellow 5-9 Brims members Jeffrey Bush, Louis Love, Rodolfo Zambrano and three of Respass’s ‘drops’ allegedly lured one of the Angles bartenders across the club, held her by the hair, beat her on the head and threw a bottle at her.
‘Bush recorded the assault on his cell phone, and the video was sent to the gang member on behalf of whom Respass allegedly ordered the attack,’ the indictment states.
Two weeks later, Jeffrey Bush allegedly carried out a second attack on the same female bartenders at the club, identified as sisters Rachel and Sarah Wattley, this time on Cardi B’s orders, reported NBC4.
Cardi B, born Belcalis Marlenis Almanzar, is accused of telling Bush and another purported 5-9 Brims member to throw bottles at the servers because she believed one of the Wattley sisters had an affair with her husband, Migos rapper Offset.
Cardi B pleaded not guilty last year to a dozen charges, including two counts of felony attempted assault with intent to cause serious injury. Her case, which is separate from Respass’, is still winding its way through the courts.
Prosecutors and Respass’ attorneys are expected to reach an agreement on her surrender after she delivers her baby
The 27-year-old performer, who previously spoke candidly about her earlier affiliation with the Bloods, last appeared before a judge in December, when she famously showed up to court wearing a black feather-trimmed coat with a train and a matching hat.
The newly unsealed indictment paints a detailed picture of the 5-9 Brims’ organizational structure and accuses some of the members of serious crimes, including murder, attempted murder, robbery, assault and racketeering.
‘The 5-9 Brims is a violent criminal organization that has terrorized residents of Brooklyn and Queens by committing brutal acts of violence in public places, trafficking narcotics on the streets and defrauding victims through financial schemes,’ stated United States Attorney Donoghue.
Respass, who has 928,000 followers on Instagram, has not addressed the charges against her as of Tuesday afternoon.
Cardi B herself has been charged with ordering a separate attack on the same bartenders in last August 2018. She is pictured in court in December
She has been busy in recent days promoting her skin care line.
If convicted of the charges against her, the 28-year-old mom-to-be could be sentenced to up to 50 years in prison.
Cardi B so far has kept mum about her longtime friend’s impending arrest. In 2018, the Bodak Yellow rapper penned a long post saying she was proud of Respass for overcoming her prior legal troubles, becoming a successful bartender and being a ‘go getter.’