Judge removed from Young Thug RICO trial after investigation
The RICO trial Young Thug has been involved in for over two years has been all-encompassing and has seen multiple delays. From a prison stabbing to the arrest of his attorney, there have been an unfathomable amount of setbacks. However, following an investigation, the case’s original presiding judge, Ural Glanville, was removed from the case.
In early July, Young Thug’s attorney, Brian Steel, accused the judge of having a secret meeting with the witnesses and prosecutors ahead of testimonies. However, Glanville denied the allegation and insisted he would only remove himself from the case if an investigation found him guilty of misconduct.
Prior to the recent investigation, Steel got into a heated argument about Glanville’s meeting with witness Kenneth Copeland. As such, he filed a motion asking for Glanville to be dismissed from the case, claiming that his actions were “unconstitutional”.
Following an investigation into the meeting, the Fulton County court found that Glanville’s actions were not proper and determined he needed to be recused from the trial for the “necessity of preserving the public’s confidence in the judicial system”.
Glanville’s replacement has already been named Shukura L. Ingram, but a new start date for the trial has yet to be confirmed. After Steel filed his motion, Glanville adjourned court proceedings so all parties could await the results of the investigation.
Following his recusal, Steel released a statement on behalf of Young Thug, writing, “Jeffrey Williams [Young Thug] is innocent of the charges brought in this indictment and to clear his name, he sought a speedy trial, one in which he would receive the constitutional guarantees of a fair trial with an impartial judge presiding and ethical prosecutors following the law.”
He continued, “Sadly, Judge Glanville and the prosecutors have run afoul of their duties under of the law. Mr. Williams is grateful that the reviewing court agreed with him and entered the order, recusing and disqualifying Judge Glanville from presiding over Mr. Williams’ case. We look forward to proceeding with a trial judge who will fairly and faithfully follow the law.”
Although all parties now know that Shukura L. Ingram will be the new judge, it is still unclear as to when the hearings will continue.