Young Thug's Lawyer Wants To Dismiss Other Jail Calls From YSL RICO Case

BYGabriel Bras Nevares3.2K Views
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Young Thug Jail Calls YSL RICO
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Thug's attorney Brian Steel stated that calls made by anyone other than the rapper himself are just hearsay.

While Young Thug (real name Jeffery Williams) and YSL's RICO case is in full swing, his legal defense team is trying to set the record straight on it. Moreover, Thug's attorney Brian Steel filed various motions to change the implications, proceedings, and parameters of the trial. Most recently, according to court documents obtained by HIpHopDX, he made moves on Wednesday (July 5) to try to "exclude any and all recorded jail calls made by anyone other than Mr. Williams [as evidence in trial] as said jail calls are hearsay and/or violate the Confrontation Clause." Furthermore, his adamancy on the matter suggests that these calls from others could unjustly incriminate the Atlanta trap pioneer or unfairly paint him in a negative light unrelated to his accused crimes.

Another example of Steel's motions are his recent one to block another detective's testimony. Apparently, the attorney found out that the law enforcement official would falsely state that Young Thug cooperated with officials regarding a homicide. Steel labeled the witness as "not accurate," saying his narrative "places Mr. Williams’ character at issue and is irrelevant to the trial of the above referenced case." In defense of his right to a fair trial, he also wants all 911 calls made by Thugger in relation to this murder blocked from being used as evidence.

Young Thug At The 2021 REVOLT Summit

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - NOVEMBER 13: Rapper Young Thug speaks onstage at the 2021 REVOLT Summit at 787 Windsor on November 13, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

Regardless, there are other initiatives by Young Thug's defense that might be harder to follow through on. For example, Steel wants certain RICO charges in the case dismissed. "In order to satisfy the crime of RICO conspiracy, the prosecution must prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that at least one (1) overt act was committed in furtherance of the conspiracy within the Statute of Limitations,” the motion reads. “To satisfy the Statute of Limitations, the overt act must have occurred within five (5) years of the filing of the Bill of Indictment with the Clerk of Court." To elaborate, apparently some of the charges relate to incidents that occurred over five years before the massive indictment."

Still, this move would only dismiss about 61 acts out of 192, so there's still plenty the court accused him of. As such, many wonder whether this will even cause the big shift the defense and YSL probably hopes for in the case. Given that this is a tangled web, we'll be sure to keep you posted on whatever comes next. With that in mind, stick around on HNHH for more news on Young Thug and the YSL RICO case.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
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