Gunna to Be Released After Pleading Guilty to Racketeering Charge
Gunna is set to be released from jail today after pleading guilty in the YSL RICO case.
On Wednesday (Dec. 14), Gunna's attorney Steve Sadow confirmed to XXL that the rapper has made an Alford plea to racketeering charges. Gunna has been sentenced to five years, with one year of time served and the remainder of his sentence being suspended. An Alford plea is designated for defendants who do not admit guilt of crime, but concede that the State has enough evidence to prove them guilty. Gunna will be freed later on today.
Sadow has released the following statement from the Atlanta rapper.
"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," the statement starts. "My focus of YSL was entertainment - rap artists who wrote and performed music that exaggerated and 'glorified' urban life in the Black community."
Gunna is adamant he did not snitch on anyone as part of his plea deal.
"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," the statement continues.
"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," Gunna adds. "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."
Gunna, Young Thug and 26 other affiliates of YSL have been locked up since May when they were arrested in a sweeping RICO case in Atlanta that accused the record label of being a violent street gang with Young Thug at the helm. Thugger remains behind bars. The YSL trial is set to start on Jan. 9. 2023. The prosecution says they have over 300 people willing to testify against the group.
