YFN Lucci is the Atlanta artist behind such hits as 2016’s “Key To The Streets” with Migos and Trouble, as well as the 2017 single “Everyday We Lit” featuring PnB Rock. Unfortunately, the rapper’s current notoriety stems more from legal controversies than his prolific music career. Since authorities indicted him in 2021, he has been contending with a series of RICO charges, adding complexity to his legal predicament. The rapper, whose real name is Rayshawn Bennett, recently pleaded guilty to racketeering charges, incurring a 20-year prison sentence. Here’s all we know about the situation thus far.
Read More: YFN Lucci Looks Unrecognizable In New Mugshot From Prison
Lucci Turned Himself In Back In 2021
YFN Lucci initially surrendered himself after authorities issued a warrant for his arrest in connection with a shooting murder in Atlanta. A key detail in the case places Lucci in a vehicle associated with the murder. Since then, he has remained in jail awaiting trial, as the District Attorney continued to cement a racketeering case against him. Prosecutors have since alleged that Lucci’s music outfit YFN is closely associated with a faction of the Bloods gang, and have been involved in numerous crimes.
As the trial continued into 2024, Lucci was facing 13 felony charges, each carrying with them heavy minimum sentences. The rapper was among many suspects indicted by Fulton County officers on a RICO case which spawned over 88 pages of legalese and a 56-count grand jury.
The YFN Case: Sweeping Indictments In Fulton County
YFN Lucci was first arrested on the RICO indictment in May 2021. Since then, the Fulton County district attorney worked diligently to build a case against Lucci and his associates with interconnected charges including aggravated assault, murder, and a host of other gang-related activities.
The District Attorney’s office, presently prosecuting a trial against Young Thug and his YSL associates, alleges the music outfit’s involvement in real-life gang activity. In both the YSL and YFN Lucci cases, prosecutors have entered song lyrics as evidence, aiming to use the rhetoric about crime within the tracks as confessions to the charges. These cases are on track to set an incredibly dangerous precedent in the United States court system, as the use of song lyrics, which are often fictional or metaphorical, is arguably a violation of freedom of speech and artistic expression.
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YFN And YSL Famously Have Bad Blood
Lucci a real one
— Biden Blast
(@RickTasko) January 2, 2023
The two alleged gang outfits have made no secret of their beef with one another, which includes alleged incidents of violence on both the streets and prisons of Atlanta. Many fans assumed during the YFN trial that the District Attorney would press Lucci to take the stand against Young Thug and company, citing a popular theory that suggests Thug may have arranged a jail stabbing on the rapper. Despite this, Lucci refused to participate in the YSL trial in any capacity, cementing the rappers’ down-to-earth legacy in the eyes of many fans.
YFN Lucci Has Plead Guilty To The Charges
Footage of YFN Lucci apologizing to his friend, family and the court before receiving his sentence today
pic.twitter.com/rOZI3cR4Uo
— Raphouse TV (RHTV) (@raphousetv7) January 24, 2024
Unlike Young Thug, who is voraciously fighting against the court system, YFN Lucci has taken a guilty plea for a sentence of 20 years. Apparently the YFN artist reached the plea deal during the jury selection last week. The court has accepted time served as credit toward the sentence, which includes 10 years in federal custody and 10 more on probation. Per parole eligibility rules in the county, the rapper could theoretically be considered for release in under four months. Two unnamed YFN associates also took similar plea deals alongside the YFN Lucci trial.
The plea deal allowed Lucci to have 12 of the 13 charges brought against him dismissed entirely, including all counts of racketeering. According to his lawyers, the rapper has pleaded guilty to a single charge, specifically in violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, enacted in 1998. Lucci managed to escape one of the counts linked to a 2020 shooting death. If found guilty, Lucci could have faced a life sentence for the charge in question.
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