UPDATED 12/14/22, 6:06 p.m. ET: Shortly after it was announced that he entered into a plea deal, Gunna was released from Fulton County Jail.
Gunna has been released from Fulton County Jail hours after pleading guilty to racketeering conspiracy.
pic.twitter.com/RBifA46rVV
See original story below.
Gunna is finally coming home.
Gunna’s attorneys Steve Sadow and Don Samuel announced on Wednesday that the 29-year-old rapper—legal name Sergio Kitchens—entered into a plea deal in which he received a time-served, suspended sentence. The Georgia native has remained behind bars since mid-May, shortly after he and other YSL associates were listed in a sweeping RICO indictment.
The co-defendants, which included YSL Records founder Young Thug, are accused of committing street gang criminal activity, ranging from drug possession and armed robbery to attempted murder and aggravated assault. Gunna pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to violate the RICO Act; but by accepting an Alford plea, the rapper has effectively pleaded guilty to the offenses while maintaining his innocence. Such a deal allows a defendant to bypass the uncertainties of a trial and avoid a much more severe sentencing.
“When I became affiliated with YSL in 2016, I did not consider it a ‘gang’; more like a group of people from metro Atlanta who had common interests and artistic aspirations,” Gunna wrote in a statement provided to Complex. “My focus of YSL was entertainment – rap artists who wrote and performed music that exaggerated and ‘glorified’ urban life in the Black community. While I have agreed to always be truthful, I want to make it perfectly clear that I have NOT made any statements, have NOT been interviewed, have NOT cooperated, have NOT agreed to testify or be a witness for or against any party in the case and have absolutely NO intention of being involved in the trial process in any way.”
He continued, “I have chosen to end my own RICO case with an Alford plea and end my personal ordeal by publicly acknowledging my association with YSL. An Alford plea in my case is the entry of a guilty plea to the one charge against me, which is in my best interest, while at the same time maintaining my innocence toward the same charge. I love and cherish my association with YSL music, and always will. I look at this as an opportunity to give back to my community and educate young men and women that “gangs” and violence only lead to destruction.”
According to WSBTV, Gunna’s suspended sentence will be subject to various conditions, including 500 hours of community service.
It’s unclear if Young Thug is expected to make a similar deal. The 31-year-old rapper—born Jeffery Lamar Williams—remains behind bars.
