Rayshawn Bennett, a rapper known as YFN Lucci, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a gang-related charge in Atlanta, his lawyers said, as part of a deal with prosecutors in a case interconnected with racketeering charges against the rap group of Atlanta YSL.
Mr. Bennett was part of a wide-ranging indictment in 2021, brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis, which charged him with murder, aggravated assault and violation of the state's racketeering law. In 2022, Willis used the same anti-racketeering law to charge Young Thug, the popular rapper, leader of YSL, and Mr. Bennett's rival.
The trial against Young Thug and five of his associates is taking place in the same courthouse as the trial against Mr. Bennett, who reached a settlement during jury selection.
Similar to the indictment against YSL, the indictment against those accused of being part of YFN presented social media posts and song lyrics as evidence of criminal activity.
As part of the plea deal with Bennett, prosecutors dismissed 12 of the 13 charges against him, including the racketeering charge. She pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, said one of his attorneys, Drew Findling.
Bennett accepted a 20-year sentence, including 10 years in custody and the remainder on probation. But he could be considered for release in less than four months, Findling said, taking into account parole eligibility rules and the time he has served in prison since his arrest in 2021 (if he had been convicted of the charge of murder, which involved what prosecutors described as a gang-related shooting in 2020, Mr. Bennett could have faced life in prison).
“He's ready to put this behind him and get back to his four children, his family and his career,” Findling said.
A spokeswoman for the district attorney's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the plea deal.
Bennett is from Atlanta and rose to prominence with his 2016 song “Key to the Streets,” which featured Quavo and Takeoff of the chart-topping rap group Migos. He has been a supporting character in Young Thug's lengthy indictment, which claims other YSL members tried to kill Mr. Bennett by stabbing him in the Fulton County Jail.
