Kay Flock Indicted on Federal Racketeering and Murder Charges

Bronx drill rapper Kay Flock has been named in a federal indictment that charges him with racketeering conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, and more. Kay Flock, whose real name is Kevin Perez, is accused by the government of being a member of a gang called “Sev Side” or “DOA” (short for “Dead on Arrival”) in the Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx, New York. The indictment alleges that Perez and his associates “engaged in, among other activities, robberies, wire fraud, bank fraud, and acts involving murder and assault.”

“Over a span of several years, the members of these gangs allegedly terrorized neighborhoods in the Bronx and Manhattan by killing and shooting other people,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in the Department of Justice’s press release. “Through these charges, we will hold Sev Side and Third Side members responsible for plaguing our communities with gun violence.”

In 2021, when he was 18 years old, Kay Flock was charged in New York state with first-degree murder and accused of killing a 24-year-old man named Oscar Hernandez. He was also charged with two felony counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. The rapper’s next court appearance is scheduled for Thursday, March 9, 2023, online records show.

In a statement shared today with Pitchfork, Kay Flock’s attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, said:

We’re not surprised by the federal charges as we’ve been fighting Kevin’s state murder charge for over a year now—and considering the shooting was a clear act of self-defense, it wasn’t a particularly strong charge. That it’s now being used as a basis for a possible death penalty charge is extraordinary. On video, it is crystal clear that Kevin was about to be shot after attempting to walk away from his attacker. Only then, did Kevin use a weapon to defend himself and another from an armed, violent gang member who was about to pull out the loaded gun in his hand.

At the time of his arrest in New York, Kay Flock had released The D.O.A. Tape via Capitol Records. He’s since re-released the project as The D.O.A. Tape (Care Package), which includes the Cardi B collaboration “Shake It.”