The one-year sentence was commuted to time served. Gunna was sentenced to five years with one served in prison. The charge Gunna faced was one count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corruption Act. YFN Lucci was also part of a 2021 RICO indictment.ATLANTA, Georgia – Atlanta rapper Gunna has been released from jail after pleading guilty to a RICO charge, following his seven months of incarceration.Īccording to WSB-TV2′s investigative reporter Mark Winne, Gunna, whose real name is Sergio Kitchens entered a negotiated plea, known as an Alford plea, in which a defendant doesn’t admit he committed the crime, but acknowledges that it is in his best interest to plead guilty. ![]() DJ Drama and Don Cannon faced RICO charges in 2007 as part of a raid that targeted their mixtape operation. There are several examples of RICO being invoked in connection with hip-hop. According to Seiden, other YSL-connected musicians like Yak Gotti, Slimelife Shawty, and Unfoonk are also named in the indictment. “It's the 21st century blueprint for prosecution of rappers: call the rap group a gang and pursue Mafia-style indictments,” he wrote.īoth Young Thug and Gunna have prior history of legal trouble–Thug was arrested after threatening to shoot a mall cop in 2015, indicted on drug charges in 2018 and had gun charges dropped in 2019, while Gunna was arrested for possession of a controlled substance during an Arkansas tour date in 2019. As journalist Jeff Weiss noted, there is a recent history of prosecutors taking aim at rappers and distorting the meaning of particular slang and song lyrics to make their case. The use of rap lyrics as evidence as a trial is extremely controversial–Maryland ruled them admissible in 2021–and artists like Jay-Z, Meek Mill, and Big Sean have voiced support for a campaign against such a practice in New York. In Gunna’s case, Seiden shared that prosecutors cited his appearance in the video for Lil Keed’s “Fox 5,” and specifically the lyric “We got ten hundred-round choppers,” as well as jewelry he wore on screen bearing the “YSL” logo and the acronym “SLATT,” (“Slime Love All The Time”). Williams committed no crime whatsoever and we will fight to my last drop of blood to clear him,” Thug’s attorney Brian Steel told WSB-TV. “I’ll tell you the response to any allegation Mr. However, the First Amendment does not protect people from prosecutors using it as evidence if it is such,” she said. “I believe in the First Amendment, it’s one of our most precious rights. ![]() ![]() ![]() Willis also addressed the First Amendment controversy related to citing song lyrics in a court case, saying she anticipated such a question coming up. In taking that approach, 28 defendants were indicted, and they were indicted for the crimes which I believe were appropriate for this RICO indictment.” Let’s be conservative in our approach, which is always the approach that I take. Speaking to the press on May 10, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said, “As large as this indictment is, I told my team let’s not be sexy, let’s not overreach. Update, 5/10: Social media posts, music videos, and lyrics make up a significant component of what’s listed in the indictment as “Part 3 - Acts in Furtherance of the Conspiracy.” These include Thug quotes from songs like “Bad Boy” (“I shot at this mommy, now he no longer mention me”), “Slime Shit” (“Fuck the judge, YSL, this that mob life”), and “Eww” (“In a Bentley on West Lee getting trailed by sniper”).
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