As the controversial racketeering trial against Young Thug and his YSL crew proceeds, more observers are sharing their opinions on everything that has happened in the case so far. The latest is Harlem rapper Jim Jones, who shared some of his thoughts during an interview with Atlanta’s DJ Univercity on the latter’s podcast. Specifically, he called out the members of YSL who accepted plea deals in exchange for their freedom ahead of the trial; they include Gunna, YSL co-founder Walter Murphy, and Young Thug’s brother, Unfoonk.
Faced with the possibility of incurring double-digit prison sentences due to their connection with YSL Records, these members accepted so-called “Alford pleas,” in which they maintained their innocence and did not offer up any specific information, but pled guilty to lesser counts (mainly racketeering) and had their sentences commuted to time served, allowing them to leave Fulton County Jail without bond. This means they are obligated to appear in court if called as witnesses but reserve their ability to exercise their Fifth Amendment rights. Unfortunately, this can make it appear that they agree YSL is a gang — which is, of course, the prosecution’s whole strategy in extending these offers.
It can also give the appearance to outside observers — especially those not particularly well-versed in criminal law — the impression that they “snitched” in order to avoid longer sentences. Each member to accept a plea has maintained that their cooperation was limited to pleading guilty and that they won’t testify if subpoenaed. That didn’t stop Jim Jones from criticizing them and comparing their circumstances to his own brushes with the law.
“From where I come from, taking a plea when you have co-defendants is really not the thing you supposed to do,” he said. “If you up against a case by yourself and sh*t like that, that’s something different. But when you’re taking a plea it’s a touchy thing.” He continued, “I can say this: None of my n****s took a plea. They all in jail right now doing the time. They accepted what they did, they accepted who snitched on them, they accepted it all, and they all sat down and did their time… Nobody tried to take a plea, nobody tried to go around. N****s even went to trial — they did everything they could but do that.”
You can watch the full interview above.
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