Gunna To Be Released After Pleading Guilty To Racketeering Charge, Rapper Stresses He Has ‘NOT Cooperated’ w/ Prosecutors In Any Way To Convict Young Thug Or Other Defendants
Gunna To Be Released After Pleading Guilty To Racketeering Charge, Rapper Stresses He Has ‘NOT Cooperated’ w/ Prosecutors In Any Way To Convict Young Thug Or Other Defendants
It looks like Gunna will be making his way home soon.
According to reports, Gunna, born Sergio Kitchens, has pleaded guilty to a racketeering conspiracy charge in a gang indictment against him, fellow rapper Young Thug, born Jeffery Williams, and several other alleged members of the Young Slime Life (YSL) criminal street gang.
The “Pushin P” rapper has entered a negotiated plea, known as an Alford plea, in which he plead guilty on one charge because it was in his best interest while maintaining his innocence on the same charge.
Gunna was ultimately sentenced to five years with one served in prison. The one-year sentence was commuted to time served. The four-year remaining balance on his sentence has been suspended and will be subject to special conditions including 500 hours of community service.
The 29-year-old rapper released a statement, saying:
“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.”
His statement also addressed why he first joined YSL in 2016, noting that he didn’t consider it a gang, but “more like a group of people from metro Atlanta who had common interests and artistic aspirations.”
He added,
“My focus of YSL was entertainment — rap artists who wrote and performed music that exaggerated and ‘glorified’ urban life in the Black community.”
It’s important to note that despite his claims of having no intentions to testify, it is a condition of Gunna’s trial that he testifies if called. He can, however, claim the Fifth Amendment if desired.
As previously reported, Gunna, Young Thug, and 26 others were arrested in May in a gang indictment that claimed YSL is a violent criminal street gang that has committed multiple murders, shootings, and car-jackings over the course of a decade.
Prosecutors said that the rappers promoted the gang’s activities in songs and on social media.
Young Thug remains in jail.