Young Thug's lawyer will not spend the next 10 weekends in jail, including Father's Day, even though the judge in the rapper's RICO case found the lawyer guilty of criminal contempt of court this week.
Brian Steel, who represents the “Go Crazy” rapper in his high-profile RICO case, had his 20-day punishment suspended by the Georgia Supreme Court on Wednesday, according to several local media outlets.
The state's high court considered the motion after it was transferred from the Georgia Court of Appeals, where Steel originally filed the request to stay Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Ural Glanville's order because the state Supreme Court has jurisdiction when the case underlying an appeal includes murder allegations.
Attorney Ashleigh Merchant, Steel's legal representative, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a statement that her team is “delighted that Brian will be home with his family for Father's Day this weekend.”
The statement continues: “We appreciate the speed and thoughtfulness with which our appeals courts handled this unfortunate situation.”
The trader's firm did not immediately respond to The Times' request for comment on Thursday.
On Monday, Glanville ordered Steel to spend 10 weekends in jail after the lawyer refused to reveal how he knew about an ex parte meeting between the judge, prosecutors and a prosecution witness that did not include any defense representatives. . Steel was to report to the Fulton County Jail at 7 p.m. on Fridays and be released at 7 p.m. on Sundays. The sentence was due to end on August 18.
Steel's jail order and his efforts to avoid spending time behind bars are the latest twists in the racketeering trial of Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, which began in late November. The months-long trial stems from a sweeping indictment filed in the summer of 2022. In the indictment, Georgia officials accuse the rapper of being a founding member of the criminal gang Young Slime Life, or YSL. The criminal gang shares that acronym with the rapper's Young Stoner Life label.
Williams is one of 28 people, including rappers Gunna and Unfoonk, allegedly associated with YSL and targeted by the indictment.
Since November, the trial has faced several delays and obstacles. Less than a week into the court process, a juror was dismissed after informing Glanville that he feared retaliation because a photo of him during jury selection had allegedly been leaked online. In December, the trial was put on hold until 2024 after co-defendant Shannon Jackson, also known as Shannon Stillwell, was stabbed multiple times during a fight with another inmate at the Fulton County Jail.
Before the trial, Steel said in August 2022 that he was confident that “Mr. Williams has committed absolutely no crime.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
