Kenneth McGriff Net Worth | A Look at His Financial Success

Kenneth McGriff led a gang called “The Supreme Team.” McGriff named the gang after himself after being nicknamed “The Supreme” by an organization, The Five-Percent Nation. Kenneth distributed crack cocaine in his home town Baisley Park Queens and had one of the biggest drug distribution networks in New York.

Kenneth McGriff led a crack cocaine-distributing gang in Queens, New York. Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff, as he was known, was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 1985. After McGriff’s release, he returned to a life of crime, and in 2007 he was given a life sentence without parole.

At age 20, Kenneth McGriff was one of the most feared drug lords in Queens, with hundreds of gang members running and selling his crack cocaine. Even after being jailed for the first time, Kenneth tasted success and returned to his gang to resume his criminal activity. McGriff escalated his tactics, which led to his second arrest but his time with serious consequences.

Kenneth McGriff’s Net Worth in 2023
Who is Kenneth McGriff?
Kenneth McGriff Bio

Where Do His Riches Come From?
About His Issues
- Reason For Imprisonment
- Current Updates On His Imprisonment
Wrap Up
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Kenneth McGriff’s Net Worth in 2023

Kenneth McGriff, a former American drug kingpin from New York City, was born on September 19, 1960. By the beginning of 1981, Kenneth became a gang leader who sold crack cocaine. To make at least $200,000 daily, Kenneth’s gang produced and distributed crack cocaine throughout New York.

Kenneth McGriff is currently serving a life term after being found guilty twice. During 26 years, Kenneth earned a $5 million net worth.

Who is Kenneth McGriff?

American drug lord Kenneth McGriff was born in Queens on September 19, 1960. Kenneth founded “The Supreme Team,” a gang infamous for producing and trafficking crack cocaine when he was only 20. In Baisley Park Queens, where he was raised as a child, McGriff ran and controlled the whole crack cocaine trafficking network.

During his senior year of high school, Kenneth joined an organization known as “The Five-Percenters”. “The Five-Percenters”, renowned for their exclusivity, was Kenneth’s first introduction to the illegal drug trade.

Another “Five-Percenter”, Prince Rasheem, organized a meeting between Kenneth and his cousin “Fat Cat” Nichols, the local drug lord. Soon after the introduction to Fat Cat, Kenneth Mcgriff established his gang, “The Supreme Team”, which distributed crack cocaine. Within a very short period, Kenneth’s gang grew into a big drug empire with hundreds of members.

Kenneth McGriff Bio

Occupation – Gangster, drug lord

Age – 62 years old

Zodiac Sign – Virgo

Born – 19 September 1960

Birthplace – New York City Housing Authority’s Baisley Park, New York, United States

Nationality – United States

In the South of Queens, in the Baisley Park of the New York City Housing Authority, Kenneth McGriff was born on September 19, 1960. Kenneth lived in a middle-class household with his two brothers and parents, and the city’s transit system employed them.

Most of Kenneth’s boyhood was prosperous, and he attended Catherine & Count Basie Junior High School for his education.

While still in high school, Kenneth joined The Five-Percent Nation, commonly known as the Nation of Gods and Earths. Many youths found Queens a very difficult location to grow up, and members of the Five-Percent Nation, also known as the Five Percenters, took advantage of the difficulty of finding one’s place in the world.

In 1964, Clarence Edward Smith, often known as “Allah the Father,” founded the Black nationalist movement known as The Five Percenters in Manhattan. Members believed that just 10% of the world’s population comprises elites, with the other 85% under their control. The 5% know the truth and inform the other 85% that black people are gods.

Kenneth established himself fast in the Five Percenters and earned the title “The Supreme.” As McGriff’s reputation grew, “Fat Cat” Nichols, the local drug lord, became aware of him through his cousin “Prince” Rasheem. The introduction led Kenneth to create his crew, which he called The Supreme Team in recognition of himself.

Kenneth operated out of Baisley Park, close to his home, and used a sophisticated security structure that included lookouts on the tops of buildings with walkie-talkies. The Supreme Team expanded to include hundreds of individuals.

Kenneth was always being observed, and in 1987 a joint N.Y.P.D. and federal-state investigation resulted in his arrest. McGriff finally pleaded guilty to participating in a criminal organization in 1989; after almost two years of battling the matter in court, he received a 12-year sentence.

After serving over seven years, Kenneth was granted parole in 1994; however, he broke the terms of his release and was subsequently apprehended, serving an additional two and a half years in prison. After being freed in 1997, Kenneth quickly put his team back together, continued his drug empire, and expanded it.

After being granted parole in 1994, Kenneth pursued a partnership in filmmaking with the Gotti brothers, Chris and Irv. McGriff first saw the two brothers while filming a music video in Queens and asked them to adapt the book “Crime Partners” into a movie. With their help, Kenneth used Chris and Irv’s record label, Murder Inc., founded in 1998, into a money-laundering operation.

At the Manhattan headquarters of Murder Inc., documents were raided by federal officials and the N.Y.P.D. in January 2003. On charges of conspiring to commit money laundering and money laundering, Murder Inc. was indicted. Federal authorities continued to monitor Kenneth McGriff while he carried out his illicit activity.

McGriff was trialled again in 2007, but this time for major offences. Jam Master Jay, a member of Run-DMC, was allegedly murdered in 2002, and Kenneth is allegedly involved. Claims that McGriff participated in the attempted murder of 50 Cent were presented during his trial.

The trial shed light on various criminal acts committed by McGriff, and prosecutors were ruthless in their pursuit of justice.

In the Eastern District of New York, McGriff was found guilty in 2007 of murder for hire. After a trial, Kenneth was declared guilty of paying $50,000 to have rivals “Big Nose” Troy Singleton and “E-Moneybags” Smith shot in 2001.

In February 2007, Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff was found guilty of narcotics trafficking and murder conspiracy charges and was given a life sentence.

Where Do His Riches Come From?

Kenneth McGriff founded “The Supreme Team,” a gang, in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens in 1981. The Baisley Park Homes, where Kenneth grew up, were the distribution point for massive quantities of crack cocaine trafficked by McGriff’s numerous gang members.

As Kenneth’s Supreme Team reached its pinnacle in 1987, its daily revenue from street-level business exceeded $200,000. To prevent his drug enterprise from being challenged, Kenneth’s aggression increased from routine violence to severe brutality. Around the projects, Kenneth had a well-functioning security system in place.

To notify members when police officers entered the area, The Supreme Team had lookouts stationed across the territory, including on the rooftops, and equipped with walkie-talkies. Because Kenneth treated the local kids with sweets, basketball tournaments, and other things, they remained devoted to him and helped defend his kingdom.

Kenneth reorganized and expanded his criminal enterprise after serving his first prison term. McGriff expanded his lucrative crack cocaine distribution business outside of New York into Maryland, and North Carolina, adding heroin to the mix. Even more, Kenneth’s Supreme Team expanded to carry massive numbers of drugs until their prophets ran into the millions.

Kenneth also developed a relationship with Chris and Irv Gotti, two cinematographers. Murder Inc., a record company founded by Chris and Irv, was used by Kenneth to conduct a money-laundering scheme. Kenneth made enormous sums of money by investing in up-and-coming rap artists, which was an effective front for his illicit business.

About His Issues

At a young age, Kenneth McGriff got involved with The Five Percenters. Kenneth was nicknamed “The Supreme,” and local drug kingpin “Fat Cat” Nichols introduced Kenneth to the drug trade. Kenneth had a chip on his shoulder and, with his new drug gang, felt untouchable until his first incarceration, eventually leading to murder-for-hire charges and life imprisonment.

Reason For Imprisonment

The Supremes, a group led by drug kingpin Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff, ran a crack cocaine operation out of apartments in Baisley Park. In 1981, McGriff established his distribution network, and state and local law enforcement agencies became aware of his unlawful conduct.

Kenneth McGriff, also known as The Supreme One, was apprehended in 1987 and found guilty, receiving a 12-year prison term in 1989.

Kenneth admitted to selling crack cocaine and managing a criminal organization. McGriff was granted parole in 1994 after completing nearly seven of his twelve-year sentence. Kenneth broke the terms of his parole before 1994 ended, which led to his re-arrest.

The court deemed Kenneth’s parole breach a significant concern, and he was forced to serve an additional 2.5 years before being released in 1997.

Kenneth McGriff returned and regrouped with a stronger team of gang members and associates. Within a short period, Kenneth was up and running and increased his criminal activities and distribution network. With his drug enterprise increasing, so did Kenneth’s territory, leading the emboldened McGriff to escalate his aggressive behaviour.

McGriff’s crack cocaine distribution network went as far as New York into Maryland and North Carolina and included the wholesale of large quantities of heroin.

McGriff ran his criminal drug ring briefly without much opposition because of his brutal tactics, which escalated to deadly violence against rivals. This time the federal bureau and the N.Y.P.D. suspected Kenneth of murder for hire, and McGriff was arrested again with much bigger charges lodged against him.

The government presented evidence in Kenneth McGriff’s case on January 9, 2007, demonstrating that the drug lord had progressed to murder for hire. Rapper Eric Smith, also known as “E. Money Bags,” was assassinated in 2001, allegedly thanks to a hit gang Kenneth hired from Harlem.

Colbert Johnson, known as “Black Just,” was a friend of Kenneth’s who was killed, and McGriff accused Smith of being involved.

The government proved Kenneth’s role in Eric’s murder and emphasized his violent tactics. Eleven close-range shots were fired at E. Money Bags, and the prosecution demonstrated how McGriff paid assassins to kill Smith’s associate Troy Singleton to avert revenge. The jury heard testimony about Singleton’s many gunshot wounds and how Kenneth or castrated his death.

In front of District Judge Frederic Block at the Brooklyn Courthouse, Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff was on trial from January 9 until he was convicted on February 1. Racketeering, the unauthorized use of guns, drug trafficking, murder, and money laundering were all evidenced in the case against McGriff.

The sentence for Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff was life in jail without the chance of parole.

During McGriff’s sentence proceedings, the jury could not reach a unanimous decision regarding the death penalty, and McGriff received life imprisonment.

Roslynn Mauskopf, the U.S. Attorney, stated, “One of the most deadly and dreaded drug traffickers in New York was drug lord Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff. In his statement, Mauskopf also said that McGriff “dedicated the better part of two decades to gangs, drug trafficking, and violence, treating his earlier terms as mere interruptions in his pursuit of a life of crime.”

Current Updates On His Imprisonment

After President Obama’s First Step Act, a motion to reconsider Kenneth McGriff’s sentence was submitted to U.S. District Judge Frederic Block in 2020. The act aimed to shorten the time between crack cocaine offences and powder cocaine crimes in sentences.

Regarding Kenneth’s appeal for a lower term, the Second Circuit disagreed with Judge Block’s initial decision, claiming he did not follow the federal sentencing guidelines.

The conviction that McGriff distributed crack cocaine weighing more than 50 grams, cocaine weighing more than 500 grams, and an indeterminate amount of heroin was the basis for his appeal to have his sentence reduced.

Although judge Block admitted that McGriff qualified for a sentence reduction, he rejected it due to Kenneth’s criminal past and horrific acts of violence. McGriff is still serving a life sentence because federal prosecutors reminded U.S. judge Block that he was convicted of multiple federal drug charges and two counts of murder for hire.

After Kenneth found no joy in court to reduce his sentence, his attorney stated that the 61-year-old McGriff is hopeful, and his goal remains not to die in prison.

Wrap Up

Kenneth McGriff is a drug lord and leader of a crack cocaine-distributing gang in Baisley Park, Queens. McGriff accumulated a net worth of $5 Million since he started The Supremes Team in 1981 and, at the height of his criminal enterprise, received $200.000 per day.

Kenneth was sentenced to 12 years the first time, and the second time he was given a life sentence for drug smuggling and murder for hire.