Young Thug and YSL RICO Trial: Opening Statements Begin, Mistrial Motion Denied

Prosecutors accused Grammy-winning rapper Young Thug of leading a criminal street gang that committed murder and a slew of violent crimes in the Atlanta area over the past decade in opening statements of his racketeering trial Monday.

via: Complex

As is typical of such proceedings, the first day of the trial did not start at its scheduled time. This was due, at least in part, to the absence of a juror who was later determined to have made a belated arrival after experiencing transportation issues.

From there, opening statements kicked off, with on-the-scene reporter Jewel Wicker noting that attorney Adriane Love, speaking for the prosecution, quoted from The Jungle Book and alleged that Thug’s YSL had been engaged in a “war” with the Inglewood Family Gang.

Prosecutor Love says YSL was at "war" with the IF (Inglewood Family) Gang that led to the death of Donovan Thomas in 2015. In the months following his death, she says, no less than 50 shootings occurred. She alleges YSL "stole at least three lives" over the last 10 years.

— Jewel Wicker (@jewelwickershow) November 27, 2023

The prosecution’s opening remarks swiftly spurred a mistrial motion from Thug’s attorney, Brian Steel. According to Steel, prosecutors engaged in “intentional misconduct” on Monday by not sharing “all of their displays and opening statements” as previously ordered by the judge.

“Three weeks ago, you ordered the parties to share all of their displays and opening statement to the others so we don’t have to have these interruptions. I did that,” Steel said. “The state shared with me four attachments. That’s all they had. That’s what I got.”

Continuing, Steel presented the court with a question.

“How do we just violate court order?” he said. “So, yes. I have a serious motion for a mistrial, because it’s intentional misconduct.”

Had they done that, defense attorneys could've pointed out anything that was wrong or supposed to be excluded ahead of opening statements. We only got about 20 minutes into the prosecution's opening statements before breaking for lunch.

— Jewel Wicker (@jewelwickershow) November 27, 2023

The motion was ultimately denied, as seen below.

Both Young Thug and Gunna were among those named in an indictment last year alleging Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) violations. Thug was booked into Fulton County Jail in Georgia that May following a raid of his home. In December, Gunna’s legal team announced their client had been released following an Alford plea.

“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,” Gunna said at the time. “I love and cherish my association with YSL music, and always will.”

Young Thug has remained behind bars since his initial arrest. Ahead of the trial, a judge said that lyrics could be used in the case.

Meghann Cuniff court reporter is also covering the trial.

Prosecutor says members of Young Thug’s YSL gang showed up at Lil Wayne’s show at the Compound in Atlanta locked and loaded, with guns.”

She said they were denied entry, so they waited for Wayne to leave and shot up his tour bus. pic.twitter.com/wsmOEhNBNB

— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) November 27, 2023

Fulton County Deputy District Attorney Adriane Love gets into Young Thug’s lyrics, telling jurors, “law enforcement didn’t chase the lyrics to solve the murders.”

“Law enforcement chased the murders and found the lyrics.” pic.twitter.com/vqEI1cgLv0

— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) November 27, 2023

“What you will not hear any evidence of is that the defendants were not involved in a criminal street gang.”

My jaw actually dropped when the DA said this in her opening in the Young Thug trial. This is the kind of burden shifting that leads to convictions being overturned. pic.twitter.com/TP6Pm3tEZq

— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) November 27, 2023

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