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Young Thug and Gunna Appear in Court as RICO Trial Set for January
Young Thug and Gunna’s trial will begin in January.
Prosecutors filed a motion hoping to push back the trial until March on the grounds that some of the defendants in the case lacked court-appointed attorneys. At a hearing on Thursday, Fulton County Judge Ural Glanville denied the motion and announced that jury selection would commence Jan. 5, reports The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“Most of these people have no bonds, that is something that weighs heavily on the court in terms of a start date for this trial,” Glanville said. “They deserve to have a right to go to trial.”
The two appeared from jail in a courtroom feed where the judge announced the decision.
Gunna and Young Thug in court today 🙏‼️ pic.twitter.com/i6YqaLJZuE
— RapTV (@Rap) November 17, 2022
Young Thug’s lawyers opposed the three-month delay, blaming prosecutors for not preparing more public defense counsel.
“It is unjust that Mr. Williams rots in the county jail and … is being required to wait on the appointment of counsel for co-indictees,” said Brian Steel, according to Billboard. “It has been too long to leave a human being in custody without trial, without discovery, without the statutory right to a speedy trial and without bond.”
Both rappers are among the 28 people charged in a 56-count RICO indictment alleging that they are part of the Young Slime Life street gang responsible for various crimes throughout Atlanta. Their attorneys have contested the charges for months, but they have repeatedly been denied pre-trial bond release over claims that they could intimidate witnesses.
They have received support from the hip-hop community as well as Kim Kardashian, who recently advocated for Gunna, saying there is “zero evidence that he committed a crime.”
While they await trial, both Gunna and Thug were nominated for Grammys this week for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song for “pushin P.”