NBA YoungBoy remained in a Utah jail due to his alleged involvement in a prescription drug fraud scheme. According to multiple reports, his pretrial release hearing was scheduled for April 29.
The 24-year-old rapper was arrested on multiple charges, including identity fraud, on April 16. Cache County Sheriff’s Office accused him and his associates of illegally obtaining promethazine with codeine from pharmacies. NBA YoungBoy and his co-conspirators allegedly posed as doctors and created fake patients to trick pharmacists.
Investigators caught NBA YoungBoy, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden, partly due to his accent and pronunciation. Cache County investigator Tyson Hyrum Nielsen explained how he determined the Baton Rouge native was pretending to be an elderly woman named Gwendolyn Cox to fraudulently procure prescription drugs in an affidavit.
Nielsen spoke to “Gwendolyn Cox” and NBA YoungBoy on separate phone calls. The calls helped expose the scam.
“During the conversation with ‘Gwendolyn’ it was very clear that a fake voice was being used,” Nielsen wrote. ‘Gwendolyn’ sounded as though she was a much younger male from the southern states … Kentrell Gaulden continued to attempt to further the prescription fraud by talking about the prescription and saying ‘she on the hospital bed,’ referring to the patient ‘Gwendolyn Cox’ from the previous day. Also of value to note, Kentrell Gaulden used the word ‘Axe’ instead of ask, this is similar to my conversation with ‘Gwendolyn’ the night before when ‘Gwendolyn’ used the same word. Based on my training and experience and having lived in the Southern United States, using the term ‘Axe’ in place of ask is a common southern dialect.”
NBA YoungBoy was busted for the alleged fraud while on house arrest in a gun case. A Louisiana judge ordered him to be taken into federal custody until a bond revocation hearing can be scheduled.