YSL’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) case has taken another turn after one of the defendants allegedly attempted to smuggle weed into the Fulton County Jail.
According to reporter Jozsef Papp, who is covering the trial for the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville paused the jury selection process for Young Thug‘s trial on Friday (January 13) to inform attorneys on both sides of issues pertaining to two of the rapper’s 13 co-defendants.
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“Judge Glanville just announced that there is going to be an investigation after someone brought clothing for one of the defendants with contraband (marijuana) in the shoes,” Papp tweeted. “Glanville said one of the defendants also refused with cooperating this morning (taking a shower and getting dressed) and defendants during transport yesterday were causing problems.”
The reporter did not indicate how the investigation would impact the jury selection process itself, which started on January 4.
So far, Young Thug’s trial has seen more than a handful of hiccups. On the fifth day of jury selection Young Thug’s lawyer Brian Steele claimed that another potential juror in his client’s ongoing RICO case attempted to reach out to him via email. While the contents of the message weren’t disclosed during the hearing, it was enough for the judge to order an investigation.
Another potential juror made headlines this week when it was reported that she had being ordered to write a 30-page essay after skipping jury duty in favor of a vacation to the Dominican Republic, per WSB-TV.
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The jury selection process was halted around 12:30 p.m. local time on Thursday (January 12), as the city of Atlanta and all surrounding cities were put on high alert due to impending severe weather. The decision to pause proceedings came after a Level 3 (out of a possible 5) warning was issued for all of North Georgia, as forecasters predicted damaging winds with speeds up to 60 MPH, and the possibility of tornadoes, 11 Alivereported.
Close to 600 residents of Fulton County have been summoned for jury duty. If chosen, they will be tasked with deciding Thugger’s fate, along with the 13 members of his YSL crew, an acronym which interchangeably stands for the Young Slime Life gang he’s been accused of co-founding and his Young Stoner Life Records imprint.
As part of the selection process, potential jurors were asked to fill out a 250-question survey to help attorneys on both sides determine whether these Atlanta residents would be qualified to participate in the trial.
Included in the questionnaire were specific questions about YSL, including whether participants have heard of the label or the gang, whether they’ve attended a YSL concert, or know anyone who wears “Slime Life” clothing.
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The questionnaire also included general questions about people’s opinions on physical appearance, like “Do you have an opinion about a person who has head and neck tattoos?” or “Do you have an opinion about a person who has dreadlocks or tattoos?”
Jury selection in Young Thug’s trial is expected to last five to six weeks, while the trial itself could go on for up to a year.
