prosecution

Young Thug Trial: Judge Trolls Prosecution In YSL RICO Trial Over “Chasing That Money” Caption

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Judge Paige Whitaker didn’t agree with the prosecution’s interpretation of a social media caption about “chasing that money,” during the latest hearing in the YSL RICO trial. She had been sorting through various evidentiary issues in the case when discussing the Instagram post. A clip of the moment shared by legal journalist Meghann Cuniff is going viral on social media. “What suggests that he is doing anything illegal by chasing that money?” Whitaker asked. “Isn’t that what pretty much all of us who aren’t independently wealthy have to do every day of our lives?”

The prosecution responded: “I am not saying with certainty that this is what he is saying. What I’m saying is that it is evidence that tends to or has a tendency to make a portion of assertions or our allegations in the indictment true to the extent that it is relevant that he made or said that made that statement on that posting. He is representing YSL.”

Read More: Mariah The Scientist Reveals “Devastating” Reason She Couldn’t Visit Young Thug On Their Anniversary

Young Thug’s Attorney Arrives At Fulton County Courthouse

Brian Steel, attorney for rapper Young Thug, arrives at the Fulton County Courthouse on November 27, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia. Opening statements are set to begin in the case against 31-year-old US rapper Young Thug and 28 others, who are facing a racketeering indictment accusing the defendants of a number of offenses that support an overarching conspiracy charge, including murder, assault, carjacking, drug dealing, and theft. (Photo by Christian Monterrosa / AFP) (Photo by CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA/AFP via Getty Images)

“How is the language representing YSL?” the judge then asked before adding, “It really doesn’t seem to say that.” Fans on X (formerly Twitter) shared plenty of laughs in response to the moment. “She said we ain’t all wealthy as all gotta chase the money,” one user replied to Cuniff. Another wrote: “She’s over this case like everyone else is.”

Judge Whitaker Goes Back & Forth With Prosecution

Check out the full interaction from the latest hearing in the YSL RICO case below. It comes after Thug and Mariah The Scientist attempted to celebrate their third anniversary, earlier this week. Be on the lookout for further updates on Young Thug and the YSL RICO trial on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: Young Thug RICO Trial Sets New Record After Judge Denies Motion For Mistrial

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Yak Gotti’s Lawyers Have A Unique Idea To Speed Up “Arduous” Trial

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Yak Gotti’s legal team has submitted a motion requesting that the judge in the YSL RICO case implement a time limit on the state’s case as the trial continues to drag on. In doing so, they argued that the prosecution has been unprepared and inefficient in the presentation of its evidence.

The motion begins: “As this Court has broad discretion to exercise reasonable control over the presentation of witnesses and evidence, the Court should use that discretion to prevent this trial from stretching indefinitely and beyond the reaches of time due to the State’s unpreparedness and inefficiency, and presentation of cumulative evidence causing undue delay, poor decision making by the jury, as well as harm to Kendrick and other Defendants. Simply put, the Court should put a reasonable time limit, or clock, on the remainder of the State’s case.” From there, it describes the trial as an “arduous, tedious journey.”

Read More: Young Thug Co-Defendant Yak Gotti Compares Lyrics To Jack Nicholson’s “The Shining”

Yak Gotti Attends Young Stoner Life Meet & Greet

EAST POINT, GEORGIA – APRIL 22: Rapper Yak Gotti attends Young Stoner Life. Meet & Greet at DTLR Camp Creek on April 22, 2021, in East Point, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

The motion comes as the state still has 100 witnesses left to call and the trial is already the longest-running in Georgia’s history. YSL (Young Slime Life) is accused of being a criminal street gang responsible for numerous crimes including murder. Earlier this month, former President Donald Trump expressed his interest in the case, agreeing with Adin Ross that district attorney Fani Willis is treating Young Thug unfairly. “I heard that actually,” Trump responded to Ross during their stream together. “So, I’ve heard about him and I’ve heard he’s being treated very unfairly by her [Willis] and I would tell her she’s gotta treat these patriots that are being all– it’s terrible. They’re going after them.” He concluded: “He’s gotta be treated fairly.”

Yak Gotti’s Lawyers File New Motion

Check out the latest motion in the case above. Be on the lookout for further updates on Yak Gotti, Young Thug, and the YSL RICO trial on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: Young Thug’s YSL RICO Trial Could Go Until 2027, Attorney Claims

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D.A. In Young Thug & Donald Trump Case Allegedly Had An Affair With Prosecutor

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Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who is prosecuting Young Thug, is facing another call for her to be removed from Georgia’s election interference case against former President Donald Trump. The demands stem from allegations she had an affair with Nathan Wade, a special prosecutor she hired in the case. Willis and Wade have admitted to having had a romantic relationship but deny it caused a conflict of interest.

In a new filing, lawyers for former state GOP chair and Trump co-defendant David Shafer brought up a speech she made in January referencing Wade. Willis noted that Wade, who is Black, is the only one of her special prosecutors facing backlash, while the other two on the case are white. “The obvious intent of her remarks was to inject and infect the jury pool in Fulton County with unfounded allegations that anyone who dares question her or Mr. Wade’s conduct must have done so for racist purposes,” the motion argues. “These comments constitute prosecutorial, forensic misconduct and warrant her removal and that of her office from the prosecution of this case.”

Read More: Fani Willis Defends Use Of Rap Lyrics As Evidence

Fani Willis Attends Hearing In Election Interference Case

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – NOVEMBER 21: Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis appears before Judge Scott McAfee for a hearing in the 2020 Georgia election interference case at the Fulton County Courthouse on November 21, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. Judge McAfee heard arguments as to whether co-defendant Harrison Floyd should go to jail for social media posts and comments that potentially targeted witnesses in the trial. McAfee declined to revoke Floyd’s bond. Floyd faced charges along with former US President Donald Trump and 17 others in an indictment that accuses them of illegally conspiring to subvert the will of Georgia voters in the 2020 presidential election. (Photo by Dennis Byron-Pool/Getty Images)

Willis previously admitted to the “personal relationship” with Wade in an affidavit but claimed it began in 2022, after his appointment in the case. Her office said she “has no financial conflict of interest that constitutes a legal basis for disqualification,” and “has no personal conflict of interest that justifies her disqualification personally or that of the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office.”

Fani Willis Faces Affair Allegations

 
 
 
 
 
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According to Newsweek, there’s an evidentiary hearing on the allegations scheduled for February 16. Be on the lookout for further updates on Fani Willis and Young Thug’s trial on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: Gunna Performs In LA With “Free Jeffery” Sign And Shows Support For Young Thug

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NBA YoungBoy Wants House Arrest Rules Relaxed To Help With Depression & Use Of Outside Studios

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NBA YoungBoy is requesting that the terms of his house arrest be eased so that he can once again record music at an outside studio. Additionally, his legal team says it will help with his anxiety and depression. They want the allowance of “certain” activities with approval from his pretrial officer due to his “deteriorating” mental health.

“Being confined to his home and unable to complete his employment obligations has led to great anxiety, depression, loss of weight, and sleep. Mr. Gaulden [NBA YoungBoy] has been visibly stressed and has expressed concern and loss of hope that he will be able to return to his contracted employment obligation,” his lawyers said. They added that his sales have “suffered” due to his “limited ability to produce quality recordings” and that he’s already “exhausted all his options for recording in his home with a very limited production crew.”

Read More: NBA YoungBoy Says He’s Going To Turn Himself In And Get Himself Together

NBA YoungBoy Performs At Lil WeezyAna

NEW ORLEANS, LA – AUGUST 25: NBA YoungBoy performs during Lil. WeezyAna at Champions Square on August 25, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images)

Under the proposed terms, YoungBoy would still be subject to adhering to a curfew, wearing an ankle monitor at all times, and having a limitation on visitors. He would also be unable to tour. In response, prosecutors argue that the request is “hopelessly vague.” “The United States fails to see how the defendant’s current conditions of pre-trial release prohibit him from seeking and obtaining mental health treatment,” Assistant U.S. Attorney William K. Morris said in a filing submitted on Monday, as noted by The Fader. He added that YoungBoy can receive “necessary” medical appointments through telehealth therapy. As for the recording of new music, Morris cited the recent release of his latest record, Decided 2, as proof his house arrest isn’t stopping his work.

The judge in the case has yet to issue a ruling on the proposal. A grand jury originally indicted YoungBoy in March 2021 on felony weapons possession in Louisiana. Be on the lookout for further updates on NBA YoungBoy and his ongoing case on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: NBA YoungBoy Celebrates Birthday With Push-Up Challenge: Watch

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YSL RICO Trial: Judge Loses Patience With Prosecution Withholding Evidence

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The lawyers for the prosecution in the YSL RICO trial got an earful from the presiding judge this week. Judge Ural Glanville expressed his frustration at the prosecution “dripping and drabbing” their evidence while also expanding their witness list by “nearly two-thirds”. When the prosecution meekly replied that they would have an explanation for everything at the hearing on November 16, the judge handed down a stern warning. “It better be a damn good explanation or else I’m excluding all of it,” he warned.

Major steps were taken in the sprawling trial earlier this week as a jury was finally seated after nearly nine months of selection. The jury is composed of nine women (7 Black, 2 white) and three men (2 Black, 1 white ). Furthermore, barring any further complications from upcoming hearings, the trial is set to begin in earnest on November 27.

Read More: Lil Baby Throws Up YSL Sign While Rapping About Snitches: Watch

YSL Defendants Dropped To Six

Meanwhile, another defendant was removed from the case after accepting a plea deal. Derontae Bebee submitted a guilty plea in exchange for a 15-year sentence but with only five spent behind bars. That dropped the number of defendants who will face trial later this month down to six in total.

And yet, things remain highly controversial in the case. Two weeks ago, the prosecution submitted an error-ridden list of lyrics they intended to use as evidence in the case. The use of lyrics as admissible evidence is a hotly debated topic but is a practice still allowed in Georgia. Furthermore, it’s a practice strongly advocated for by Fulton County DA Fani Willis. “I think if you decide to admit your crimes over a beat, I’m going to use it. I’m going to continue to do that; people can continue to be angry about it. I have some legal advice: Don’t confess to crimes on rap lyrics if you do not want them used. Or at least get out of my county,” Willis told reporters in September.

Read More: Young Thug’s Comments On Lil Wayne Tour Bus Shooting Admissible In YSL RICO Trial

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Prosecutors In YNW Melly Case Seek To Add Evidence Of Witness Tampering

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Prosecutors in YNW Melly’s double-murder retrial have requested to admit evidence of alleged witness tampering, according to the Miami Herald. They charged him with witness tampering in connection to his first murder trial, earlier this month. Prosecutors argue the rapper and his team attempted to prevent his ex-girlfriend, Mariah Hamilton, from testifying.

“The defendant went to great lengths to have others contact Mariah Hamilton for him,” the prosecution said. “Because he was in jail and had his phone privileges taken away previously by BSO for numerous violations, he utilized fellow gang members to do his dirty work. Not only did he use his fellow gang member Terrence Mathis, who was in custody with him, he also utilized his co-defendant Cortlen Henry, who was out on pretrial release at the time, to be his messenger.”

Read More: YNW Melly Plans To Bar Witnesses Who Allege He Owed YNW SakChaser Money

YNW Melly Booked In Florida

FT. LAUDERDALE, FL – FEBRUARY 13: In this handout photo provided by the Broward’s Sheriff’s Office, rapper YNW Melly, real name Jamell Demons, is seen in a police booking photo after being charged with two counts of murder in the first degree February 13, 2019 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Demons allegedly conspired with Cortlen Henry to fatally shot two other Florida based rappers, Christopher Thomas Jr and Anthony Williams, October 26. (Photo by Broward’s Sheriff’s Office via Getty Images)

Melly was initially tried in the double murder case over the summer, but that trial ended with a hung jury. Now, Melly will face a new prosecutor after his team successfully got former lead prosecutor Kristine Bradley removed from the double murder case. Jury selection for the retrial began on October 18.

At the beginning of October, Melly penned an open letter to his father, expressing his confidence that the second trial will prove his innocence. “It’s finally over doe,” he wrote at the time. “I knew I wasn’t getting bond I’d have to have a second mistrial I ain’t trippin. I’ll be home this trial! God is working! I still remember everything.” Be on the lookout for further updates on Melly’s retrial on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: YNW Melly Pens Letter To His Father, Says He Will Win Trial

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YNW Melly Jury Selection Begins This Week, XXXTENTACION Prosecutor Added To Trial

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Most of the rappers we keep up with in their 20s are living young, wild, and free, performing at music festivals, attending lavish parties, and shopping at designer stores. YNW Melly, on the other hand, has spent the entirety of his 20s behind bars. Unfortunately even after a mistrial was declared in his double murder trial this past summer. Jury selection for his next fight for freedom is due to begin in Broward County on Wednesday (October 18). There’s been a notable change on the prosecution’s side of things that could seriously shake the retrial up.

As The Fader reports, Assistant State Attorney Kristine Bradley is being replaced by a familiar face who played a big part in the XXXTENTACION’s murder trial. Prosecutor Alixandra Buckelew will be up against Melly in the courtroom later this year. Broward Circuit Court Judge John Murphy made the call to recuse Bradley last week. The latter decision came after the “Murder on My Mind” hitmaker’s defense team filed a motion requesting the county’s entire State Attorney’s Office be removed from the case.

Read More: YNW Melly’s Prosecutors Call His Defense Team “Flawed”

YNW Melly’s First Prosecutor Replaced by Alixandra Buckelew

Last week, Assistant State Attorney Michelle Boutros testified that Detective Mark Moretti (lead investigator on the Melly case) insisted a local deputy “lie about being present when the search warrant” on the accused killer’s mother’s phone went down. According to the prosecution, these comments weren’t serious, but still, the defense had valid reasons to raise their concerns. Buckelew made an attempt to delay the trial’s start date. However, thanks to speedy trial rights, Melly will be back in court in the coming days.

As we previously reported, YNW Bortlen’s jury description maps being discovered by authorities means that the next batch of people selected to decide his and YNW Melly’s fate could potentially remain anonymous. This is, of course, to protect their identities and maintain the integrity of the trial. Read more about that at the link below, and check back later for more hip-hop/pop culture news updates.

Read More: YNW Melly Jurors May Remain Anonymous In Retrial

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YNW Melly Asked His Mom To Buy Him A Legal Gun, Prosecution Claims In Ongoing Trial

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YNW Melly’s double murder trial has been playing out for the better part of June, and so far, we’ve seen plenty of interesting twists and turns in the case. The accused killer has been making plenty of headlines with his antics, from appearing to pray before jurors entered the courtroom to being criticized for smiling from ear to ear and letting his personality shine through during some of the proceedings. In the beginning, many lawyers chiming in on the case shared the opinion that Melly could potentially beat his charges due to the prosecution’s near-impossible job proving him guilty.

However, new evidence has seemingly turned things around, as alleged text messages between the Florida native and his mother, Jamie King, have been presented as evidence against him. In the video below, the prosecution presents screenshots of messages sent by Melly both ahead of and following the homicides, using his consistent speech pattern to prove their validity. “Listen I [don’t] care about any of this but you [and] I have not posted anything about Sak,” King wrote to her son about one his alleged victims prior to his death. “He jumping what his sister started, making posts about me.”

Read More: YNW Melly’s Murder Trial Stress Gave His Mother A Heart Attack, She Claims

Prosecution Presents Troubling Evidence Against YNW Melly

More screenshots shown later in the video find Melly asking his mother to “Get [him] a Glock ASAP,” as well as sending her his location around the time the crimes took place in 2018. “Like go now,” YNW urged her. “Ok, what’s wrong? I got your .45,” she wrote back. “I just don’t want no illegal gun. Well dats not illegal,” the recording artist responded.

“But I rather have a Glock 40 or 19,” other alleged messages from Melly read. Shortly after the seven-minute mark, Melly’s defense attorneys attempt to object, however, the judge allowed the prosecution to continue. Now that these receipts have entered the chat, social media commentators are starting to think things might not go in his favour.

Read More: Undercover Detective Testifies At YNW Melly’s Trial Wearing A Ski Mask

Criminal Lawyer Explains Melly’s Situation

Check out criminal lawyer Bruce Rivers’ full explanation of the latest updates from YNW Melly’s double murder trial below. Do you think this new evidence will solidify the 23-year-old’s fate? Let us know in the comments, and check back later for more hip-hop/pop culture news updates.

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