YSL rapper Gunna denied bond by a Fulton County judge today in court. Gunna was arrested as one of the alleged members in the YSL RICO case.
A Fulton County judge has denied Atlanta rapper Gunna bond for a RICO charge at an arraignment hearing Monday morning. The judge said he is putting off the decision on whether to provide bond for rapper Young Thug until June 2, while he resolves a conflict of interest issue.
The rapper, whose real name is Sergio Kitchens, was booked into a jail in Atlanta on May 11 as part of a sweeping gang indictment that also named 27 other people, including fellow Atlanta rapper Young Thug. Fulton County prosecutors allege those named in the indictment are members of the Young Slime Life (YSL) gang, which has engaged in criminal activity in the city since 2012.
On a Zoom video shown in court, Gunna pleaded not guilty to one charge of violating Georgia's anti-racketeering law.
Fulton County prosecutors, however, allege the YSL group that Kitchens was a part in engaged in criminal activity in the city for a decade. All defendants named in the indictment have been charged with violating the RICO act.
The prosecution argued that Kitchens was "not just an associate" of the group, saying that he was a "documented gang member" who was "one of the bosses" and was in a "command position" in the group who "direct their troops into combat."
In court, the state pointed out Kitchens' four previous arrests and cited songs where he and fellow defendant Young Thug are "followed in their gang persona by snipers" with additional references to weapons and violence.
The Fulton County judge denied bond, saying that he was concerned about the possible "danger to witnesses and other folks tied to this." He set Kitchens' trial date for Jan. 9, 2023 and said he may consider bond for good cause at a later date.