CNN Atlanta
One of the most well-known testing in the nation is finally scheduled to start this week in Atlanta after nearly ten months of jury selection.
Fani Willis, the district attorney for Fulton County, has claimed that Grammy-winning musician Young Thug is the co-founder of a violent street gang that has been active for ten years. Prosecutors claim that Young Slime Life, an Atlanta-based city group connected to the national Bloods band, also goes by the name YSL, which stands for the author’s brand, Young Stoner Life Records.
Under the broad Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, also known as RICO, the state charged the actor along with more than twenty different individuals. In August, Willis accused former President Donald Trump and 18 other accused of trying to thwart the 2020 election under the same laws.
The Atlanta court, where opening statements are scheduled to start on Monday before what could be a protracted trial with marquee-worthy witness lists, has drawn national attention due to the scathing indictment that names Young Thug. The prosecutors ‘ use of rap songs as evidence of the group’s life, which some claim is a racist infraction of freedom of speech and artistic expression and the most recent example of Black skill being targeted, has also come under fire in the case.
Here is what you should know.
The case’s focal point is a singer.
In a lengthy indictment that spans roughly 90 pages, Young Thug, who was born Jeffery Williams, was detained in May 2022 and charged with 27 different people, including performers Gunna and Yak Gotti. Gunna and Young Thug’s older sibling were among the defendants who entered plea deals last December, while others were removed from the case for a variety of reasons, including picture concerns.
Young Thug is one of six plaintiffs also on trial. Since his imprisonment, he has remained in custody.
Prosecutors claim in court documents that the singer is a violent crew chief and that his alleged examples—among them, he threatened to shoot the security guard in the face, flashed the group’s purported hand signal several times, including in social media posts —and rapped about the legal organization. Additionally, it was claimed by the prosecution that members of the gang had talked about obtaining Young Thug’s consent to murder singer YFN Lucci, the purported leader of a rival street band.
The accusations have been strongly refuted by Young Thug’s defense attorney, who has also highlighted a different aspect of the rapper. One advertising executive who has known the designer for a long time testified that Young Thug was “put below to change the individuals around him” at he last year’s bond hearing.
” The Jeffery I am familiar with” According to audio business former Kevin Liles,” The Jeffery I know gave me the garments off his back.”
A 15-year-old child testified that the artist had taught him, given him travels, and counseled him against using drugs and crime. Teen Corey Jackson told the judge,” I told him, my YSL means Young Successful Life because that’s everything that he has created.”
The 32-year-old designer grew up in a low-income, violent location in southern Atlanta. He later went on to become one of the most creative and significant hip-hop artists in the business, pushing not only artistic boundaries but frequently social ones as well. This included choosing to use an classic purple dress for the cover of his 2016 album,” Jeffery.”
He established the YSL report brand that same year, which the singer has used to help his close friends and family succeed in business. He has worked with musicians like Camila Cabello, Travis Scott, and Drake and his songs have propelled him to the top of the charts numerous occasions. He released the album” Business is Business” over the summer while incarcerated, and it was shot at No. As soon as it dropped, 1.
According to Young Thug’s lawyer Brian Steel, he” committed no crime whatsoever.” Steel was contacted by CNN for post prior to the opening statements.
In an interview with CNN affiliate WXIA, Steel stated that” the jury is hearing the lawyers say that Mr. Williams is in charge of a criminal street gang and by his expression, folks is die.” ” And that’s simply untrue.”
Steel claimed that Young Thug is “wrongly charged on every single count” and that his client was” an awesome person who comes from thirst, poverty, and lack of opportunity.”
Steel remarked,” He’s trying to get others out of poverty.” His life’s work is to accomplish that.
reported gang people charged with murder, armed robbery, and drug trafficking
According to the prosecution, the YSL group started in 2012, not far from the rapper’s childhood home on Cleveland Avenue.
Cleveland is referred to as” Bleveland” in our area, Willis said in a May 2022 news conference, indicating the region’s apparent affiliation with the national Gang group.” Me and the president and police chief have talked about the fact that Cleveland,” he said. It is a location where there is violence and where people are marking up country, Blood place. It’s awful.
Prosecutors cited more than 180 functions in the accusation that the defendants are accused of committing, dating back to 2012, including murder ,aggravated abuse, armed robbery, carjacking, pharmaceutical sales, theft, and the possession of firearms while engaging in a misdemeanor.
They also cited social media posts, hand evidence, clothes tattoos, and song lyrics as evidence.
In a reindictment filed in August 2022, prosecutors charged Young Thug with additional counts related to group exercise as well as medication and firearms violations after first indicting him for conspiring to break the RICO statute and taking part in criminal street band exercise. According to Steel, a search warrant issued by the police at the rapper’s house, where drugs and weapons were reportedly discovered, led to the additional charges.
Out of the 65 full matters listed for the defendants, Young Thug is accused of eight.
One of the more serious charges leveled against him is that he rented a vehicle in 2015 that was used in the death of another group member. According to the reindictment, YSL crew members carried out the fatal shooting three days later.
Another accused entered into plea agreements
Marquavius Huey, Deamonte Kendrick ( also known as Yak Gotti), Quamarvious Nichols, Rodalius Ryan, and Shannon Stillwell are among the various plaintiffs who are still on trial.
Due to jury selection in December 2022, additional defendants entered guilty pleas to a number of fees. Sergio Kitchens, also known as Gunna, was one of them. On a single reported matter of conspiring to break RICO law, the musician entered an Alford appeal. According to criminal defense attorney Devin Rafus, who is not involved in the case, an Alford plea enables plaintiffs to keep their innocence while acknowledging that it is in their best interest to avoid going to trial.
Gunna received a five-year prison term, with one time being commuted to occasion served and the remaining four times being suspended.
According to CNN affiliate WSB, Young Thug’s older sibling Quantavious Grier, also known as Unfoonk, entered a guilty plea to both counts of breaking the RICO work and extortion by receiving stolen property.
As part of a negotiated agreement, Trontavious Stephens, also known as Tick, admitted to being one of the group’s foundation people and that its partners had committed crimes in December.
Mounk Tounk, the accused, admitted guilt to a weapons charge and one count of conspiring to break the RICO legislation. In court, he admitted that YSL is a legal organization and admitted to committing some acts on the group’s representative.
Some days after the rival gang member was fatally shot, he even admitted receiving funds from Young Thug to “lay low,” according to the prosecution.
Rap songs are used as evidence in the case.
Lawyers used several rap songs in the list of acts listed to show the crime of a criminal street group, and earlier this month Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Ural Glanville said he will permit 17 sets to be used in test.
They contain quotes from Young Thug, in which the singer declares,” I’m a manager, I call the photos,”” Come and engage at the YSL college, and I swear I am the principal,” and” Never killed anyone, but I had something to do with that body.”
The use of lyrics in the prosecution has long been criticized as biased by security lawyers, proponents of free speech, and artists.
” Just use the information that someone else committed a murder to prove it if you did it and the state can do so.” Why do you feel the need to look into their creative profiles? Rafus remarked.
Rap songs, according to experts, are the only form of art that has frequently been used as proof against painters of color in courts. That conversation was revived by the YSL prosecution, which also sparked opposition to the process.
Democrat Governor in September 2022 A expenses limiting the use of music songs in judicial court cases was signed by Californian Gavin Newsom. The death convictions of two Black men were overturned the following month by a judge in northern California, who ruled that prosecutors ‘ use of song lyrics that were written years prior to the killing most likely caused racial bias in the jury selection process. Additionally, the” Restoring Artistic Protection Act,” which forbids a defendant’s” inventive or artistic manifestation” from being used as evidence, was signed into law this year by the Democratic governor of Louisiana.
However, Willis, the district attorney for Fulton County, has supported her company’s use of songs, declaring to reporters in 2022 that” I believe in the First Amendment, it is one of our most precious privileges.” However, if ( lyrics ) are used as evidence by prosecutors, the First Amendment does not shield people from this.
Months may pass during the test, which also featured stars.
The protracted judge choice process and countless court hearings have already given rise to erratic stories, such as an alleged in-court drug deal, an attorney’s imprisonment, and the judge punishing a woman who left the country and did not return for jury duty.
Six switches and twelve jurors were chosen. According to WSB, the judge panel consists of six Black women, two Black men, one White lady, a White male, and one Spanish person.
Months are anticipated for the test, which may include a star-studded record of witnesses. Rapper YFN Lucci and rapper Lil Wayne were on a list of possible testimony provided by prosecutors earlier this year, while Killer Mike was on Young Thug’s record.