Young Thug RICO Trial Slated To Restart This Week
It’s already been billed as the longest trial in Georgia’s history, the RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) trial of Young Thug and his YSL (Young Stoner Life Records although prosecutors claim it’s the acronym for the Young Slime Life gang) crew is slated to pick back up on Wednesday, March 13, according to Axios.
According to Law & Crime, last week, Brian Steele, the attorney for Jeffery Williams, better known as Young Thug brought to the attention of the court, a Supreme Court ruling that overturned a murder conviction against a rapper because a 33-second rap music video presented to the jury was more prejudicial than probative. Steele wants to use the judgment as an example for the court to strike lyrics and videos by Young Thug and his associates from evidence in this trial.
Steel submitted to Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Ural Glanville, the entire decision in the case, Baker v. State.
“This Honorable Court conditionally admitted evidence of rap videos, musical lyrics and the like in the trial of this case if the prosecution lay a proper foundation for same.” Steele described the “wonderful analysis” of O.C.G.A. § 24-4-403, which deals with the exclusion of relevant evidence that is more prejudicial than probative. “Mr. Williams argued that the admission of these items without foundation that these specific lyrics, videos, words and other artistic expression violates Constitutional and Statutory provisions.”
Last year in November, Judge Glanville ruled that lyrics that the recording artist rapped in sound recordings could be used as evidence against him and his associates. There have been efforts previous to this case to disallow prosecutors to use lyrics written by rappers to be used against them in a court of law. In 2022, Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Georgia, presented the “Restoring Artistic Protections Act,” or “RAP Act.” If passed, it would limit the use of lyrics as permissible evidence in federal court.
