The judge overseeing the criminal case of Young Thug has asked the lawyers defending the 28 people indicted as alleged members of the Young Slime Life gang not to leak information regarding any witnesses against their clients.
According to FOX 5, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville issued the temporary order because of “numerous threats to kill or harm witnesses.”
This “history of intimidating witnesses,” the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office contends, includes a plot to kill two Atlanta police officers and threaten to cause harm to witnesses and their family members.
Brian Steel, Young Thug’s defense lawyer, says that’s not true. He also believes his client is innocent of all charges.
The state of Georgia is treating this case the same way the federal Department of Justice treats more traditional forms of criminal enterprises like Mafia families and drug cartels.
In Young Thug’s case, the prosecutor claims he is the co-founder of YSL. They claim to have connected him to many violent crimes committed by group members, using the rapper’s social media posts and rap lyrics.
Judge Glanville denied the chart-topper bond in June. The court also shut down a house arrest plan submitted by his legal team, believing the artist was a flight risk and a danger to society.
One might ask, how did the judge come to that assessment?
Judge Glanville cited an alleged statement Young Thug made in 2015 that is now perceived as a threat and not just banter. The Atlanta native is quoted as saying, “Anybody goes into courtroom and tells the God’s honest truth, they’ll be f###### killed.”
If Young Thug is convicted of a RICO charge, he could face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.