Chocolate MC, a Cuban rapper and Reggaeton artist, has been found guilty of initiating a murder-for-hire plot targeting the man accused of killing his close friend, El Taiger.
Chocolate, real name Yosvanis Sierra Hernández, 34, was convicted in Miami on Wednesday (Nov. 12) after a jury found him guilty of soliciting first-degree murder and issuing written threats to kill or cause bodily harm, according to AllHipHop.
Prosecutors alleged that Chocolate used Instagram to offer $20,000 and a year’s supply of commissary to inmates at Miami-area prisons who would kill Damían Valdés-Galloso.
Valdés-Galloso is facing first-degree murder charges for allegedly shooting and killing another reggaeton artist, El Taiger—real name José Manuel Carbajal Zaldívar—in October 2024.
Per courtroom footage from local outlet WPLG, Chocolate broke down in tears he spoke about his friendship with El Taiger, which began when they were teenagers.
“Maybe at one point I did not express myself the right way, or the way I should have,” the MC said in Spanish. “But I’m not capable of killing anyone.”
His girlfriend, Yelena, reportedly mirrored the statement as his guilty verdict was read. “They said he’s guilty, but it’s an injustice,” she said while crying. “He didn’t kill anyone. He’s not a killer.”
Prosecutors cited Chocolate’s song “Pincha Lo” (“Stab Him”) as a critical piece of evidence in the trial. The rapper now faces up to 15 years in prison.
Chocolate has been held at Metro West Detention Center since June, when he was accused of kidnapping and robbing a fan who asked for a photo and was later held at gunpoint in the rapper’s car.
The MC previously faced charges for sexual battery, armed kidnapping, battery, and grand theft, plus a separate domestic violence battery charge for allegedly fighting and bruising his then-girlfriend.