Define rico charge trial#

The RICO Act gave prosecutors the ability to do this. A different mob member would be prosecuted for a particular crime, but prosecutors could not take down the whole criminal organization at once. Prior to the enactment of the RICO Act, prosecutors only had the ability to individually try crime that was mob-related.

In a separate filing, prosecutors defended the use of lyrics and requested a hearing on the issue but the hearing, which was delayed, never took place and lyrics were admitted into this case and were read by judge Ural Glanville to potential jurors as part of the indictment.Passed in 1970, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) Act aimed to take down organized crime organizations. ' cannot be used as evidence of crime if they are simply connected to music/freedom of expression/freedom of speech/poetry,' the motion said. Steel filed a motion last month asking the court to prevent prosecutors from using Young Thug's lyrics as evidence against him at trial, arguing in a motion obtained by ABC News, that the practice is 'racist and discriminatory' because it could prejudice a jury against his client. 'Īlthough the scope of the YSL indictment goes far beyond the lyrics, the inclusion of lyrics has sparked a movement to 'Protect Black Art' and criticism from freedom-of-speech advocates and the artists themselves, who argue that introducing lyrics into a case with the implication that they are reflections of reality, discounts rap as a form of artistic expression.

Prosecutors argue the lyrics served as 'overt acts' to fulfill a key objective of the alleged RICO conspiracy: 'Preserving, protecting and enhancing the reputation, power and territory of the enterprise. The lyrics listed in the YSL indictment are from songs in the same time frame, including Young Thug's hit, 'Anybody' and several numbers from YSL's 2020 compilation album, 'Slime Language 2,' including 'Take it to Trial,' 'Ski,' and 'Slatty.' In the indictment, prosecutors reference instances where individuals allegedly associated with the YSL gang wore or displayed symbols of 'YSL' in music videos posted on social media between 20 and rapped lyrics that mention 'YSL' and/or various descriptions of criminal activity. 'Jeffery Williams, an Atlanta-based hip-hop artist, made YSL a well-known name by referring to it in his songs and on social media,' the indictment says. Prosecutors argue in the indictment that social media postings, images and various song lyrics released by several defendants, including Young Thug, are 'overt acts in furtherance of the conspiracy' to violate the RICO Act. Meanwhile, four individuals who have not yet retained attorneys and two others who have not yet been arrested are expected to be tried separately, according to court documents reviewed by ABC News. Gunna is among eight defendants who accepted plea deals, but prosecutors could call others to testify in this case as part of their agreement with prosecutors, their attorneys confirmed to ABC News. 'Sergio Kitchens has no intention of testifying in the RICO conspiracy trial,' Sadow told ABC News last week.

Define rico charge trial#

Gunna indicated in the statement that he has 'NOT cooperated' with prosecutors and would not testify in the trial against Young Thug.

'We will fight this case ethically, legally and zealously. Williams has committed no crime whatsoever,' his attorney Brian Steel told ABC News. He has pleaded not guilty to all eight counts. Those charges were later wrapped into the RICO indictment. Young Thug, a Grammy-winning rapper whose legal name is Jeffrey Lamar Williams, was arrested on May 9, 2022, and was charged with one count each of conspiring to violate the state's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and participating in criminal street gang activity.Īfter a search of his home following his arrest, the rapper was also charged with an additional count of participating in street gang activity, three counts of violating the Georgia Controlled Substances Act, possession of a firearm while committing a felony and possession of a machine gun. The trial of Young Thug is set to begin in an Atlanta courtroom on Monday as the rapper faces gang-related charges, along with 13 other defendants, in a sweeping grand jury RICO indictment in Fulton County.