Defense attorney Nicole Fegan, who represented defendant Tenquarius Mender in the YSL Rico gang trial, has been arrested on gang-related charges.
Per WSB-TV2, Fegan was taken into custody by Atlanta police on Friday, Feb. 16 following allegations she contacted a suspect in the Sept. 27, 2022 shooting of two men.
"Investigators received information that Nicole Fegan contacted a suspect in the shooting, advising him of active warrants for his arrest," the Atlanta Police Department wrote in a statement. "Fegan provided information she had learned during a preliminary hearing related to the shooting and advised the suspect to dispose of his phone as police were going to arrest him. Investigators confirmed Fegan was not representing the suspect she called."
Fegan has been taken to Fulton County jail on charges of participating in criminal street gang activity and criminal solicitation to commit the offense of tampering with evidence. One of the two men shot in the incident in 2022 died of his injuries.
The trial previously hit a delay in February 2023 when Fegan and defendant Kahlieff Adams' attorney Teombre Calland were both pregnant, per the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. At the time, the Fulton County District Attorney's office filed a motion to have both defendants separated from the rest of the RICO trial because their absences could make it difficult for them to properly represent their clients. The motion was granted shortly after.
The arrest of Fegan is just the latest drama to hit the YSL RICO saga, which kicked off when Young Thug and Gunna were among 28 people charged in a 56-count indictment. She's the second defense attorney to be arrested amid the trial after Anastasios Manettas, who represents Miles "Slato Farley," was handcuffed in court when a security search of his bag led to the discovery of prescription medication. During the incident, Manettas was accused of throwing his cell phone at a deputy.
Another defense attorney in the case, Suri Chadha Jimenez, was held in contempt after he showed up to a court hearing late. He was ultimately able to avoid jail time by being ordered to purchase lunch for the other lawyers in the case. He said he would likely get sandwiches from a nearby shop, but he was able to get wings from the iconic Atlanta strip club Magic City instead.
