Two alleged YSL gang members in the sweeping RICO case rejected guilty pleas in court on Thursday, while an eighth associate has accepted a deal.
Per the Law & Crime Nertwork, two men named in the RICO indictment denied to take plea deals much to the surprise of the judge on the case. Tenquarius ‘Nard’ Mender and Derontae Bebee rejected deals on Thursday, which would have allowed them to be released from prison. The two are expected to stand trial alongside Young Thug and 11 others, with Nard facing a maximum of 50 years and Bebee a potential life sentence.
Despite the rejection from the two, an eighth person connected to the case accepted a deal on Thursday. Trontavious ‘Tick’ Stephens pleaded guilty to racketeering on Thursday, and has agreed to testify at trial. He was sentenced to ten years in prison, but was credited with two years of time served and will instead face eight years of probation upon his imminent release from custody.
Tick admitted that he was one of the founding members of YSL, and said it was a gang organization. At one point, a prosecutor read out a text alleged to come from Young Thug, in which he wrote, ““Y’all ain’t beat him up or shot him yet? Y’all gettin’ soft." He confirmed the text, but did not specify who it was about. He also confirmed he was the “Tick” mentioned on Thug’s song “You,” although it’s unclear if lyrics will be permitted to be used as evidence in the trial in January.
The news comes just one day after Antonio ‘Mounk Tounk’ Sledge pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the RICO Act and one count of possession by a convicted felon. He admitted to being a member of YSL, and said he committed criems as part of the alleged criminal street gang. He has also agreed to testify in the RICO trial.
