YNW Bortlen was handed a plea deal in a Florida courtroom that could wipe out two murder charges tied to the 2018 killings of YNW Sakchaser and YNW Juvy, if he agrees to plead no contest to six other serious charges.
The offer, presented by prosecutors Thursday (September 4), would drop the two first-degree murder counts against Bortlen—real name Cortlen Henry—in exchange for a plea to charges including accessory after the fact, conspiracy, witness tampering and gang-related activity.
If accepted, the deal would land him a 16-year, 3-month sentence to be served concurrently, with credit for time already served.
Rejecting the deal would put Bortlen at risk of multiple life sentences if convicted at trial.
Judge Martin S. Fein carefully explained the plea offer to Bortlen in court, stressing it is a business decision between him, his lawyers, and the state, with no pressure to accept.
The court scheduled a hearing for Tuesday (September 9), where Bortlen is expected to reveal whether he’ll take the deal or roll the dice at trial, which is set to begin the following day.
The case stems from the 2018 shooting deaths of YNW crew members Anthony “YNW Sakchaser” Williams and Christopher “YNW Juvy” Thomas Jr.
Prosecutors allege YNW Melly pulled the trigger and Bortlen helped cover it up.
Melly, who has been locked up in Broward County Jail since 2019, is awaiting retrial after his first trial ended in a mistrial. His new trial date has been pushed to January 2027.
In August, a federal judge denied his attempt to be released, rejecting claims that he was being unlawfully detained while awaiting retrial.