ysl trial

Miles Farley Granted Bond In YSL Case Amid Courtroom Chaos

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The RICO case surrounding YSL has finally gone to trial. However, chaos reigned in the courtroom during its opening days. Miles Farley has been charged with the murder of Shymel Drinks alongside various RICO charges. The alleged murder came as part of the feud between YSL and YFN. Farley, the creator of the “Make America Slime Again” brand, is a unique figure in the sprawling trial. Unlike many of his co-defendants, Farley refused a plea deal. The deal would have required him to admit that YSL was a “street gang” and provide testimony against other defendants in court.

However, Farley has mostly been an afterthought in the proceedings so far this week. That is because Thursday saw his attorney, Anastassios Manettas, arrested on possession charges while entering the Fulton County Courthouse. Manettas has reportedly attempted to bring prescription medication into the courtoom. Before that, Wednesday saw the dramatic removal of Rodalius “Lil’ Rod” Ryan from the courtroom. Farley’s case was also severed by presiding judge Ural Glanville, meaning Farley will stand trial alone.

Farley Granted $650k bond

On Friday, Farley was granted a $650k bond by Judge Glanville. This means that if he can pay up, he will have a degree of freedom before his trial. The conditions of Farley’s bond were outlined as being required to wear ankle and wrist monitors, stay off social media, and respect a 10pm curfew. No date has been set for Farley’s trial. Farley’s trial was severed from the wider YSL case, meaning Farley will have his charges as a sole defendant.

The decision to grant Farley bond over a year after he was indicted came as a result of the week’s dramatic events. The arrest of Manettas, who will still represent Farley, was the primary reason cited by Glanville for his issuing of the bond. Manettas’ arrest was also cited as the driving force behind Glanville’s decision to sever Farley’s case, the seventh instance of severance in the trial. However, Manettas appeared confident after learning of his client’s bond. “In my opinion, [it] didn’t go very well for the state,” Manettas told Atlanta’s Channel 2 Action News. The lawyer of one of over a dozen involved in the trial and represents a number of other defendants. The court proceedings are set to continue next week.

[via]

[WATCH] Screaming Interrupts Jury Selection of YSL Trial, Courtroom Cleared

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Screams heard during YSL trial FOX 5 News 0 2 screenshot 1

The YSL trial’s court proceedings were a bit alarming on Wednesday when someone began screaming behind chamber doors during recess, disturbing those inside the courtroom.

According to WSB-TV, Young Thug was sitting in the middle of the courtroom at a table as the event unfolded. Three people were handcuffed in the courtroom.

Officers cleared the courtroom, later revealing defendant Rodalius Ryan, aka Lil Rod, was escorted out, and he began screaming from a holding cell. Defendants Christian Eppinger and Coradrius Dorsey then yelled to let him out of the cell.

“All of a sudden they take Mr. Ryan, the young child, I mean, he’s a kid, they take him to the back, and we can hear him screaming,” an Dorsey’s attorney told journalist Mark Winne. “We can hear him in the courtroom yelling for help. And we’re all confused.”

A jury has still not been selected.

The post [WATCH] Screaming Interrupts Jury Selection of YSL Trial, Courtroom Cleared appeared first on The Source.

YSL Trial’s Jury Selection Delayed, Taking A Couple More Weeks

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It seems that Young Thug and company’s case will unfortunately take longer than expected to get underway. New reports suggest that the court delayed jury selection in the YSL trial in order to account for excused jurors. Moreover, Judge Glanville said that they summoned an additional 300 potential participants to replace those who couldn’t attend.

ATLANTA, GA – JANUARY 01: Rapper Young Thug attends 1st Party of The Year at Gold Room on January 1, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia.(Photo by Prince Williams/Wireimage)

Furthermore, the court heard from about 13 potential jurors on Wednesday (January 25) who sought excuse from the trial. As YSL’s case could last up to a year, another delay in the process doesn’t bode well for that timeline. Still, fans decided between faith in an appropriate jury or doubt of more time stuck in the process.

Moreover, these reports came from reporters on Twitter who covered the jury selection process. “Judge Glanville said they’ve summoned ANOTHER group of 300 jurors to replace some of the folks excused for hardships,” tweeted journalist Shaddi Abusaid. “They’ll report Feb. 24.”

Meanwhile, AJC journalist Jozsef Papp reported on the excused jurors in the selection process. Furthermore, judges relinquished potential jurors of their duties for a variety of reasons.

“We have started to hear hardships,” he tweeted earlier this week. “Juror #230 has been excused after providing proper documentation; Juror #354 has been excused after having surgery a couple of weeks ago.

“Juror #153 is in Egypt and then to India; travel was booked in advance. Judge asked him to come back with proper documentation to be excused,” he added. When speaking of another juror, Papp wrote, “He is a streamer, switched games and lost a lot of money and viewership. Has been doing Uber Eats to mitigate. He was speaking fast so judge asked him to slow down.”

Also, these developments in the case occurred alongside other court mishaps. Recently, Thug’s legal team denied that he had knowledge of a codefendant slipping him a Percocet in the middle of a hearing. While authorities apprehended the codefendant promptly and Thug maintained his innocence, they are murky waters to travel.

Still, what do you think of the YSL trial’s jury selection process delayed by a couple more weeks? Whatever the case, let us know in the comments down below. Also, as always, come back to HNHH for the latest on Young Thug and the YSL RICO case.

Young Thug Looks Tired In Court Video

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As Young Thug’s trial continues to develop, the Atlanta rapper already looks tired and done with court in a new video. While there’s been no shortage of notable moments or important decisions, Thugger rested his head on a table as if it was all passing him by with the same boredom. Moreover, the last court antic he experienced was an impromptu drug deal that left him stunned, according to his lawyers.

ATLANTA, GA – JANUARY 15: Young Thug performs during Gunna Presents New Album “DS4EVER” Concert at The Masquerade on January 15, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia.(Photo by Prince Williams/Wireimage)

“It is patently clear from the images that there was no communication, solicitation or request from Mr. Williams prior to that,” they stated. “It is absolutely bewildering as to why the state would blatantly misrepresent the reason for the cessation of courtroom activities in its motion when it knew that assertion was inaccurate.”

Still, authorities searched co-defendant Kahlieff Adams after he tried to hand Thug a Percocet during a hearing. Moreover, they found more drugs like marijuana and additional pills. Since this isn’t the only time YSL co-defendants have tried to smuggle contraband, this case has everyone on edge. Many pray for YSL’s triumph, but some question their actions more stringently.

Regardless, Thug’s judge excused several jurors from trial after many requested an exit. The reasons vary; some cited financial hardship, while another sought dismissal because of surgery just weeks prior. At this moment, it’s hard to say how these excusals will affect Thug’s case. Even if these might be jurors that would’ve helped the 31-year-old, the case is too difficult to call.

Also, these new developments struck readers with a different context this time around after we learned of Thug’s come-up recently. Furthermore, T.I. explained why he didn’t give any money to him or to 21 Savage as they blew up.

“I find it honorable to be able to tell new artists, when they come up to me—you know. 21 Savage, [Young] Thug, a lot of ’em come up to me, ‘Ay man, just give me a million, Tip. Just give me a million. I don’t care what you do. Just give me a million and let me handle it from there.’”

“If I give you a million,” he continued, “I gotta take back some that’s gon’ be way more and we ain’t gon’ be able to be friends no more. And I always tell them, don’t worry about the money up front ’cause it gon’ come. I remember telling that to Slime, I remember telling that to 21. And even Savage, anytime he see me now, ‘Hey, it came.’ That put a smile on my face because I just know how impactful every generation has the opportunity to be. even more than the last.”

However, what do you think of Young Thug looking tired in court in a new video? Whatever the case, let us know in the comments down below. Also, as always, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest updates in the YSL trial.

Young Thug Trial Update: Judge Excuses Several Jurors

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A judge excused several jurors involved in the YSL case from their duties. The judge overseeing the trial involving Young Thug made the decision after hearing of the hardships they faced since proceedings began.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 01: Young Thug performs during 2021 Lollapalooza at Grant Park on August 01, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Erika Goldring/WireImage,)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – AUGUST 01: Young Thug performs during 2021 Lollapalooza at Grant Park on August 01, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Erika Goldring/WireImage,)

Per AJC journalist Jozsef Papp who has been covering the Young Thug trial, several jurors explained that they’ve undergone medical procedures and a loss of income since jury selection began. Papp reported that the judge excused 10 jurors so far.

“We have started to hear hardships. Juror #230 has been excused after providing proper documentation; Juror #354 has been excused after having surgery a couple of weeks ago,” Papp tweeted.

Papp also reported another juror had plans to travel before the trial. The judge gave the green light to the juror, though they’ll need to provide proper documentation.

“Juror #153 is in Egypt and then to India; travel was booked in advance. Judge asked him to come back with proper documentation to be excused,” Papp wrote.

A fourth juror was also excused from the YSL trial after losing income.

“He is a streamer, switched games and lost a lot of money and viewership. Has been doing @UberEats to mitigate. He was speaking fast so judge asked him to slow down. ‘It’s not an auction,’ Glanville said,” Papp tweeted.

It’s been a chaotic week in the courtroom during the YSL trial. Last week, a hearing ended early after a co-defendant appeared to hand a pill to Young Thug. Authorities later took the defendant to a hospital after allegedly trying to ingest the remainder of the drugs on him. However, Thug’s attorney said the judge cleared Young Thug of wrongdoing.

We’ll keep you posted on any more updates surrounding the case.

Young Thug Stunned By Courtroom Pill Handoff, Attorneys Say

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Young Thug’s legal team says that the rapper was surprised when a co-defendant handed him a prescription pain pill during court last week. The prosecution claims that Thug and co-defendant Kahlieff Adams conducted a “hand-to-hand” drug exchange. Thug’s defense attorneys, Keith Adams and Brian Steel, say this is a misrepresentation of the incident.

In a motion filed on Monday, the legal team argues the prosecution made their accusation to deliberately poison the jury. They also reference painting Thug in a bad light for the media.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – NOVEMBER 17: Rapper Young Thug performs at halftime during the Boston Celtics v Atlanta Hawks game at State Farm Arena on November 17, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

“It is patently clear from the images that there was no communication, solicitation or request from Mr. Williams prior to that,” his attorneys said.

“It is absolutely bewildering as to why the state would blatantly misrepresent the reason for the cessation of courtroom activities in its motion when it knew that assertion was inaccurate,” Thug’s attorneys wrote.

Courtroom security footage revealed the incident, which shows Adams visibly placing something in Thug’s hand. The state alleges the object was a Percocet.

In a message sent to CNN, Adams wrote that Young Thug “IMMEDIATELY gave it to the courtroom deputy that was directly in front of him.”

Deputies say they found Percocet, marijuana, and more on Adams.

Young Thug is facing charges of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and participation in criminal street gang activity, as well as other charges. Defense attorneys maintain YSL is only a record label. Unfortunately for Thug, several members the organization have stated that YSL is a gang in exchange for plea deals.

Jury selection for the trial will continue on Wednesday.

[Via]

Fulton County Jurors Shocked To Hear Young Thug/YSL Trial Could Take Six to Nine Months

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ysltrial

Jury selection is now underway in the criminal trial of Jeffery Lamar Williams, professionally known as Young Thug, and other individuals alleged to be members of his gang. However, based on the size of the case, selecting the jury is a slow-moving process that will take considerable time.

Six hundred Fulton County residents received a jury summons concerning this case. Last week they were divided into groups of 200, and each spent a day watching a four-hour video of Chief Judge Ural Granville reading the 95-page indictment. After the video, Chief Judge Granville informed each group that the trial was expected to last six to nine months.

The potential jurors were visibly shocked at this news. Although they had suspected this to be a high-profile case based on the presence of news cameras in the courtroom, they had not expected it would last this long.   The trial has been estimated at this length because 14 defendants are being tried, and the parties plan to call well over 300 witnesses to testify.

On Monday, the first group of potential jurors returned to court to fill out a questionnaire and to try to get excused from serving on the jury. Of the 200 people in this group, 122 claimed that it would be a hardship to miss nine months of work. Other jurors were dismissed for family and personal medical reasons. The judge questioned 25 of those who had claimed hardship and rejected all but three, who were told to return for further questioning on Thursday, along with the remaining 97 people claiming problems who had not yet been questioned. The judge will likely want to ask questions of each of the many hundreds of potential jurors who will claim hardship.

Monday’s outcome shows the difficulty in selecting a jury for a trial of this length. In almost all circumstances, anyone who works for a living will experience severe hardship by not being able to work for six to nine months. This means the court must process vast numbers of potential jurors, a complex and time-consuming task, to find a sufficient number of jurors who will not experience hardship, and do not have any other reason to be excused.   It may also limit the demographics of the jury, which is more likely to consist of retirees and people who are unemployed. 

Although jury selection in more minor cases may take only a day or two, the jury selection, in this case, has been estimated to last until the end of February.

The post Fulton County Jurors Shocked To Hear Young Thug/YSL Trial Could Take Six to Nine Months appeared first on The Source.

What Charges Will Young Thug Face During His Trial?

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young thug denied bond
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Next week, the State of Georgia v. Jeffery Lamar Williams (better known professionally as Young Thug) and YSL Enterprises, Inc. (or Young Stoner Life Records) RICO trial will begin. With each day that passes, more details about the case emerge, including Williams’ alleged witness list.

In May 2022, Williams and 29 other associates were indicted on 56 counts of criminal acts under the state’s RICO Act. However, now that several co-defendants have accepted plea deals, including fellow rapper and label signee Gunna, fans wondered what that would mean for Williams. He was not offered a plea deal and was denied bond several times ahead of the trial, in which the state has tabbed “around 300 witnesses.” The defense is expected to call several prominent figures in the music world.

Williams’ charges are as follows:

  • one count of conspiracy to violate Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act,
  • possession of a firearm while committing a felony,
  • possession of a machine gun,
  • two counts of participating in criminal street activity,
  • three counts of violating the Georgia Controlled Substances Act,
  • and one charge of street racing.

Young Thug’s trial for his RICO case is scheduled for Monday, January 9, 2023. The trial is expected to run for as long as six months.

Some of the artists mentioned are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Young Thug’s YSL RICO Witness List Includes Lyor Cohen, Kevin Liles, And Killer Mike

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Young Thug 2021 Revolt Summit
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The State of Georgia v. Jeffery Lamar Williams (better known as Young Thug) and YSL Enterprises, Inc. (or Young Stoner Life Records) RICO trial is nearly underway. While representatives for Fulton County claim to have over 300 witnesses ready to testify to the rapper’s allegation of criminal activities, Young Thug has prepared a list to refute their testimony.

Thanks to Michael Seiden, a WSBTV reporter, Williams’ witness list was shared on Twitter. The list is much shorter than the prosecutor’s list, only including 28 people with a caveat that anyone named by the state of Georgia as a witness will be asked to speak on Williams’ behalf.

A few notable names appearing on the entertainer’s witness list include music executives Lyor Cohen and Kevin Liles, the co-founders of 300 Entertainment, the record label to which Williams is signed, as well as social activist/fellow rapper Killer Mike. Other industry professionals on the list include Sony Music executive Kelechi Aharanwa, and YSL’s co-founder Walter Murphy is also listed as a potential witness for Williams despite having accepted a plea deal.

Based on this list, as Williams fights the 56-count indictment, his legal strategy will rely on negating his public persona, as his father (Jeffery Williams Sr.) and ex-girlfriend (Jerrika Karlae Hauser) appear on the list as potential character witnesses.

While rapper Gunna’s lawyer insists he will not testify against Williams’ the conditions of his plea deal may have contingencies should the trial not go the way the prospectors expect. The same goes for Antonio “Mount Tounk” Sledge and Williams’ older brother Quantavious “Unfoonk” Grier, who were both Williams’ co-defendants before accepting a plea deal.

Young Thug’s trial for his RICO case is currently set to take place on Monday, January 9, 2023, and could potentially go on for more than six months.

Some of the artists mentioned are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Walter Murphy Pleads Guilty In YSL RICO Case As Gunna Is Released And Young Thug Appears In Court

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Gunna Young Thug DS4ever January 2022
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Gunna was seen smiling as he was released from Fulton County Jail in Atlanta on Wednesday, December 14, after pleading guilty to one charge of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced And Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. On Tuesday, December 13, it was reported that Young Thug had been hit with a charge of street racing, on top of the charges he already faces as part of a 56-count grand jury indictment brought against him, Gunna and 26 other YSL members in May.

Semi-lost in this week’s developments surrounding Gunna and Young Thug is The Atlanta Journal-Constitution‘s report that alleged YSL co-founder Walter Murphy also pled guilty ahead of next month’s YSL RICO trial, which is expected to call “around 300 witnesses” to testify.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution cited court documents and relayed that Murphy “was sentenced to 10 years, with one year commuted to time served and nine years of probation” as a result of his plea deal. Murphy will also be required to perform 300 hours of community service. “A special condition of probation is that Murphy ‘testify truthfully in any further trial as it may become necessary re: State of Georgia and the other individuals’ named in the indictment,” the publication relayed.

That last bit starkly contrasts Gunna’s statement upon entering his Alford plea. The DS4EVER rapper said, in part, that he has “NOT agreed to testify or be a witness for or against any party in the case and have absolutely NO intention of being involved in the trial process in any way.”

Gunna was sentenced to five years with one served in prison, with his one-year sentence commuted to time served and the remaining four years suspended but “subject to special conditions including 500 hours of community service,” per WSB-TV.

Young Thug, meanwhile, remains incarcerated. He made his first court appearance since Gunna’s release and seemed to be in good spirits, grinning and wearing a suit.

Jury selection for YSL’s RICO trial is scheduled for January 4, and the trial is scheduled to begin on January 9.

Gunna and Young Thug are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.