As rapper Gunna leaves jail, Young Thug remains behind bars and faces up to 20 years in prison: The latest in the YSL criminal case

• Rapper Gunna was released from jail after pleading guilty in a RICO case against him, Young Thug, and others.

• In May, Gunna (real name: Sergio Kitchens), Young Thug (Jeffrey Williams), and 26 others were indicted.

• Here's what's happened so far in the high-profile Georgia RICO case against the rappers and others.

May 2022: Gunna, Young Thug, and more are indicted on 56 counts related to Georgia's RICO act.

Earlier this year, Young Thug, real name Jeffery Williams, was arrested during a raid on an Atlanta mansion after being charged with criminal activity that prosecutors say violated Georgia's RICO act. Gunna, real name Sergio Kitchens, was also arrested around the same time.

Young Thug is the founder of record label Young Stoner Life (YSL). But according to the indictment, seen by Insider, the rapper is one of the founding members of the YSL ("Young Slime Life") group — a purported street gang, and not a record label. Prosecutors said the YSL group is affiliated with another high-profile gang, and named Young Thug, Gunna, rapper Yak Gotti, and 25 others in the lengthy indictment.

All 28 individuals, including Young Thug and Gunna, were subsequently charged with racketeering, and the indictment contained descriptions of other criminal acts that support further charges for those named. These other charges included murder, aggravated assault, theft, drug possession, participating in street gang activity, and more, all reportedly between 2012 and 2020. All told, the defendants face 56 charges.

Brian Steel, attorney for Young Thug, said in a statement shortly after the indictment was filed that the rapper "vehemently denies the allegations lodged against him."

Similar to its federal counterpart, Georgia's RICO act (short for Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) is designed to target criminal enterprises routinely engaging in crimes like theft, illegal gambling, bribery, murder, and more.

May 2022: Prosecutors cite Young Thug's music as being "in furtherance" of the alleged crimes.

Prosecutors frequently cited Young Thug's body of work as being "in furtherance" of the purported gang's criminal activity.

The indictment quoted from a 2018 video Young Thug shared, in which he rapped: "I never killed anybody but got something to do with that body." Other lyrics, including some from a 2021 song featuring Young Thug called "Slatty," were also cited in the indictment. According to Billboard, Fulton County district attorney Fani T. Willis stood by prosecutors' decision to include Young Thug's lyrics in the indictment.

"I believe in the First Amendment. It's one of our most precious rights," Willis said at a press conference shortly after the indictment was filed, per Billboard.

But Willis went on to say that the First Amendment "does not protect" individuals from prosecutors using their music "as evidence if it is such," the outlet reported.

The use of lyrics in criminal cases is currently being contested in the New York State Senate, where the "Rap Music on Trial" bill is making its way through the legislature. If passed, Senate Bill S7527  would require prosecutors to show that lyrics used in evidence were "literal, rather than figurative or fictional."

November 2022: The RICO trial is set for January 2023.

Despite efforts from the prosecution to push the trial to March 2023, a Georgia judge kept the trial start date to January 9, 2023, according to Fulton County Court records.

Prosecutors argued that the trial should be delayed because not all of the 28 individuals named in the indictment had received court-appointed attorneys, per Billboard. Young Thug's defense attorney blamed the prosecution for not adequately preparing more counsel for the case, the outlet reported, and said it was "unjust" that his client "rots in the county jail" while awaiting trial.

Both Young Thug and Gunna remained in custody ahead of the trials, after their requests to be released on bond were denied, per Billboard, because prosecutors were concerned the two might make threats against witnesses or otherwise "obstruct" the case.

December 2022: Young Thug is charged with four more counts, including reckless driving.

Young Thug remained in jail ahead of the January trial start date, and in December, a grand jury charged him with four more counts. The new charges, also seen by Insider, included street racing, speeding, and more, all stemming from a May 2021 incident.

As Fox 5 Atlanta noted in a recent report, being convicted of a RICO charge could cost Young Thug a fine of $250,000 and lead to up to 20 years in prison.

December 2022: Gunna is released after pleading guilty to one count, but stresses that he didn't cooperate with prosecutors.

Gunna's lawyer Steve Sadow revealed in a statement that the rapper had taken an Alford plea "to end my personal ordeal," according to Billboard. An Alford plea, per Billboard, allows a defendant to enter in a guilty plea while still maintaining their innocence.

While Gunna was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to one charge against him, he was ultimately released after being credited for one year of time served, with the remaining four years of the sentence suspended, per Billboard.

The rapper stressed, however, that despite taking the plea deal, he hadn't cooperated with prosecutors to convict Young Thug or others named in the indictment.

"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," Gunna said in his statement, according to Billboard.

Read the original article on Insider