PHILADELPHIA (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — A Federal jury has returned a guilty verdict for Philly-based rap promoter Alton "Ace Capone" Coles, who was convicted of using his record company, Take Down Records, to conceal a multimillion dollar drug ring.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Coles, along with five other defendants were convicted of 123 of 137 criminal counts, including conspiracy to distribute cocaine and heading a continuing criminal enterprise. Coles faces a mandatory life sentence based on the convictions.
Coles was a prominent figure in the Philly hip-hop scene, staging weekly parties and hosting after parties for touring hip hop artists and promoting albums and DVDs released on Take Down. He also was apparently a major crack distributor and according to the Inquirer, brought more than a half-ton of cocaine into the city between 1998 and his arrest in 2005.
Coles had already been the focus of a major criminal investigation when he was implicated in a drug-related homicide. Coles had already brought attention to himself by appearing with his Take Down Records partner, Timothy "Tim Gotti" Baukman, in a 31 minute video called "New Jack City: The Next Generation" that portrayed Coles and Baukman as drug lords rising to take control of the city's underworld.
Sentencing for the case has been scheduled for the week of June 9. – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
