Gunna, whose legal name is Sergio Kitchens, and Young Thug, whose name is Jeffrey Williams, are two of the defendants indicted for charges in violation of the RICO Act. The indictment claims they are part of a gang known as Young Slime Life or YSL. Prosecutors allege those named in the indictment have engaged in violent criminal activity in the city for years.
In a statement, Gunna did not admit guilt and claimed he was pleading guilty in his best interest:
"When I became affiliated with YSL in 2016, I did not consider it a "gang"; more like a group of people from metro Atlanta who had common interests and artistic aspirations.
"My focus of YSL was entertainment - rap artists who wrote and performed music that exaggerated and "glorified" urban life in the Black community.
"While I have agreed to always be truthful, I want to make it perfectly clear that I have NOT made any statements, have NOT been interviewed, have NOT cooperated, have NOT agreed to testify or be a witness for or against any party in the case and have absolutely NO intention of being involved in the trial process in any way.
"I have chosen to end my own RICO case with an Alford plea and end my personal ordeal by publicly acknowledging my association with YSL. An Alford plea in my case is the entry of a guilty plea to the one charge against me, which is in my best interest, while at the same time maintaining my innocence toward the same charge. I love and cherish my association with YSL music, and always will. I look at this as an opportunity to give back to my community and educate young men and women that "gangs" and violence only lead to destruction."
Prosecutors claim Williams is a co-founder of the alleged street gang YSL. The indictment also gives a detailed account of various violent crimes alleged members of YSL are accused of, and documents social media posts and rap lyrics by Williams that reference YSL. Atlanta rapper Gunna has pleaded guilty to a racketeering conspiracy charge in a sweeping gang indictment against him, rapper Young Thug and several other alleged members of the Young Slime Life criminal street gang.
Gunna’s attorneys Steve Sadow and Don Samuel announced on Wednesday that the 29-year-old rapper—legal name Sergio Kitchens—entered into a plea deal in which he received a time-served, suspended sentence. The Georgia native has remained behind bars since mid-May, shortly after he and other YSL associates were listed in a sweeping RICO indictment.
He continued, “I have chosen to end my own RICO case with an Alford plea and end my personal ordeal by publicly acknowledging my association with YSL. An Alford plea in my case is the entry of a guilty plea to the one charge against me, which is in my best interest, while at the same time maintaining my innocence toward the same charge. I love and cherish my association with YSL music, and always will. I look at this as an opportunity to give back to my community and educate young men and women that “gangs” and violence only lead to destruction.”
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