YSL RICO trial against Young Thug, associates grows more complicated
Young Thug's YSL RICO trial just got more complicated
The Young Thug trial keeps getting more and more complicated. The rapper’s lawyers now complain prosecutors’ witness list has doubled. And the defense says it’s still waiting on crucial evidence in the case. All this and not one juror has been seated.
ATLANTA - The YSL RICO trial against Young Thug and his alleged associates keeps growing more complicated. The rapper’s lawyers now complain prosecutors’ witness list has doubled. And defense says they haven’t gotten crucial evidence in the case.
Young Thug’s lawyers say prosecutors are giving them key information only in increments.
Lawyers for the Atlanta rapper, who’s real name is Jeffrey Williams, say they’re still waiting for important evidence from the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office in the Young Slime Life racketeering trial. The case has dragged on since January. But defense lawyers say prosecutors just turned over more than 300,000 documents in July.
And defense complains the prosecution list doubled to more than 600.
"Oh my gosh! It’s voluminous. It’s overwhelming," said Darryl Cohen, a former prosecutor in the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office. "It’s stuff the defense needs to know so they can frame what questions to ask the witnesses, what they need to do in their courtroom strategy. Now, the defense has to go through [it] too, because you never know what little piece of evidence that seems to be nothing could be major."
The rapper’s lawyers say all that evidence is crucial in what’s called the discovery phase. "It’s nothing more and nothing less than evidence that the state has that they’re going to use to try to convict the seven defendants left in the RICO trial," Cohen said. "The prosecution has a duty to be fair and provide evidence they have, especially favorable evidence to the defense."
Williams is on trial now with six other defendants in a racketeering case. The DA says Williams ran a street gang called YSL. The rapper says he’s innocent. The case seen countless delays and complications from defendants and lawyers. Still, eight months later not one juror has been seated. FOX 5 asked Cohen if this trial could be a preview of the RICO case against former President Donald Trump. "This is a real preview. It seems to me to be the appetizer," Cohen said.