Young Thug has enlisted a slew of expert witnesses ahead of his forthcoming RICO trial which is scheduled to begin in January 2023.
The trial involves 28 individuals indicted on charges of racketeer influence and corruption by participating in organised illegal activity to obtain money and property. Authorities have identified Young Thug as a gangster by virtue of his lyrics and associations.
However, the rapper has argued that the authorities are merely misunderstanding hip hop culture and any associations to crime are purely an artifice of his public image. In order to prove this, he has summoned expert witnesses to partake in the trial.
Young Thug’s lawyer Brian Steel submitted his expert witness list to the courts, and it included a hip hop historian alongside two lyrics experts. One of which is Dr Erik Nielson who co-wrote the book, Rap on Trial: Race, Lyrics and Guilt in America, making him a prime authority to have in your field.
While many of the 28 individuals have taken a plea deal in the trial, Young Thug has remained in jail since his arrest in May. Jury selection is now set to commence on January 5th, 2023, with the trial set to go ahead shortly afterwards.
RICO charges come with a possible maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000. However, there is no mandatory minimum set in law. Legal experts have posseted that if convicted, he may well be sentenced to five years.
