After being removed from the courtroom and found in contempt of court by Judge Ural Glanville yesterday, Young Thug’s defense attorney Brian Steel has been sentenced to 20 days in jail. According to local news, Steel was found in contempt of court after confronting the judge about a secret meeting with another defendant and requesting a transcript of the meeting’s minutes.
When Glanville instead questioned Steel how he found out about the meeting, Steel refused to answer, prompting Glanville to have him taken into custody. He ordered Steel to be held at Fulton County Jail for 20 days. In order to continue working on the case, they’ll all be served on weekends. Steel promised to appeal the contempt decision, but asked that he be allowed to spend his sentence with his client Thug, so that they could continue to work on the case — a request the judge granted.
News of the finding drew criticism both online and at the courtroom itself, with a number of lawyers protesting and demanding a mistrial. Steel’s wife and law partner, Colette Resnick Steel, filed the appeal along with a motion for bond.
Young Thug is on trial for alleged violations of Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. The state alleges that Thug is the leader of a criminal organization, YSL, operating under the guise of a record label. Prosecutors say YSL is responsible for a crime wave across Atlanta, including murder, assault, robbery, and drug dealing.
