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Should music lyrics by Young Thug, Gunna, or other artists be used in court?
Should an artist’s lyrics be used against them in federal criminal cases? One lawmaker says no. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Georgia, recently introduced a new bill known as the "RAP Act." This as Atlanta rapper Young Thug faces accusations he co-founded a street gang tied to multiple murders.
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - Atlanta rapper Young Thug reportedly might have to give up dozens of pieces of expensive jewelry and multiple luxury cars that were seized during his arrest in May.
The 30-year-old rapper, whose legal name is Jeffery Lamar Williams, and 27 other people, was indicted along with fellow Atlanta rapper Gunna in May using Georgia’s RICO Act. The 88-page indictment claims they are part of the Young Slime Life, or YSL, a subset of the Bloods street gang. Prosecutors allege those named in the indictment have engaged in violent criminal activity in the city since 2012.
In court documents obtained by the website AllHipHop, authorities have filed a complaint for forfeiture for money, firearms, jewelry, and vehicles seized during the arrest of Williams and rapper Lil Duke.
YSL RAPPER YOUNG THUG FACES NEW CHARGES IN FULTON STREET GANG CASE
In total, the documents say authorities seized nearly $150,000 in cash, firearms, clothing, and multiple cars including a Corvette and a Porsche.
Officials also say they took 87 pieces of jewelry, including a gold Patek Philippe watch, an engraved Rolex, and other watches, bracelets, necklaces, rings, and earrings.
Williams' lawyer says the items seized by police were unlawfully taken.
With his squeaky high-pitched rap vocals, Young Thug became best known for his hits including "Stoner" and "Best Friend." In a hyper-masculine hip-hop scene, Thug refused to play by traditional gender rules. He wore a dress on the cover of his 2016 mixtape "Jeffery" and said there’s no such thing as gender as part of a Calvin Klein campaign.
The rapper remains behind bars ahead of his trial, which is set for early 2023, after a judge denied him bail for a third time.
The decision came after Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville heard of at least one associate planning to testify against Williams being placed in protective custody after a document posted online showed his willingness to cooperate.
What is the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act?
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, was developed to fight organized crime. It was enacted in 1970 after being signed into law by President Richard Nixon.
Federally, RICO was originally was intended to be used to combat the Mafia. It draws from a list of 27 federal crimes and eight state crimes committed repeated over the course of a 10-year period. Those crimes can include fraud, theft, computer crimes, embezzlement, credit scams, investment schemes, human trafficking, illegal gambling, bribery, kidnapping, murder, money laundering, counterfeiting, and various drug charges.
The Justice Department has used RICO to dismantle multiple crime families and weed out corruption in several city police departments. Prosecutors have also used RICO to try to dismantle several street gangs and helped in prosecuting businesses that break federal law.
Georgia’s RICO statutes are similar to the federal version , but are much broader in that the criminal "enterprise" does not have to be around as long. Georgia is one of only 33 states that has its own RICO statutes. However, in both state and federal laws, a pattern of criminal enterprise has to be established.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.