Young Thug & Gunna Indicted On RICO Charges

Paras Griffin/Getty Images

Young Thug & Gunna Indicted On RICO Charges

Paras Griffin/Getty Images

Police in Atlanta have arrested Young Thug, Gunna, and 26 others as part of a sweeping 56-count RICO gang indictment. Cops claim that Young Thug’s Young Slime Life rap crew and record label is actually a street gang with ties to the Bloods and that Thug himself is the gang’s co-founder. Atlanta journalist Michael Seiden has tweeted that Thug faces charges of participation in street gang activity and conspiracy to violate the RICO Act, while Gunna is also charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the RICO Act.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that police arrested Young Thug yesterday in a raid on his Buckhead home. He’s been booked at Fulton County Jail, and he’s scheduled to appear in court this morning. Thug’s RICO Act charge comes from an event in 2013, while his gang activity charges date back to 2018. Meanwhile, YSL affiliate Christian Eppinger is charged with shooting a gang unit officer six times this past February.

Police are claiming that Thug co-founded YSL in 2012 and that some of his song lyrics and social-media posts constitute “overt act(s) in furtherance of the conspiracy,” which sure seems to veer into First Amendment territory. Police also claim that Thug rented a car that was used in a 2015 drive-by shooting and that two other YSL affiliates, including Eppinger, tried to get Thug’s permission for an attempt on the life of Atlanta rapper YFN Lucci.

UPDATE (5/11): Young Thug has been charged with seven additional felonies following Monday’s arrest. As Billboard reports, the new charges include possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute and possession of unidentified illegal guns.

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