Young Thug’s lawyer sentenced to prison after being held in contempt of court during rapper’s trial

Lawyer Brian Steel refused to identify the source of the information, even though the judge repeatedly asked him to do so.

Lawyer Young Thug was sentenced to 10 weekends in jail after being held in contempt of court during the rapper’s tumultuous racketeering trial.

On Monday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville found Brian Steel, an attorney representing the rapper, guilty of contempt of court after he refused to reveal his source to the judge, the AP reported. The Washington PostAND Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Steel claimed to have heard of a meeting in which the judge and prosecutors told witness Kenneth Copeland—a prominent Young Thug collaborator also known as Lil Woody—that if he did not take the stand, he would have to spend more time in prison. Glanville repeatedly asked Steel where he learned of the private meeting, and Steel refused to identify his source, arguing that providing it could violate both attorney-client privilege and “work product” privilege, leading the judge to find him in contempt.

Young Thug and Steel’s law firm did not immediately respond. Entertainment Weeklyrequest for comment.

Steel filed a motion to appeal the contempt of court charge, arguing that because information about the meeting was not deemed confidential, the court “imposed an illegal and inherently inconsistent sentence for this criminal contempt of court,” according to the AP. He also said the meeting between prosecutors, the judge and Copeland was “coercive, witness intimidation, ex parte communication at which we have a constitutional right to be present.”

Copeland had previously been treated with contempt after invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination despite already having an immunity agreement.

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The young thug, whose real name is Jeffery Lamar Williams, was arrested in May 2022 and charged with conspiracy to violate Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and participating in criminal street gang activities. In August 2022, the rapper was charged with six additional felony charges, including drug and firearm charges. Young Thug faces trial along with five other defendants who were charged with him.

The Fulton District Attorney alleges that Williams, who won a Grammy Award for Song of the Year for Childish Gambino’s “This is America,” founded a street gang and used his record label, Young Slime Life Records, to promote it.

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Steel will spend 10 weekends from June 14 to August 18 in prison. The lawyer asked that he serve his sentence at Young Thug’s facility, the Cobb County Jail, so they could work on the case on weekends.

Read the original article at Entertainment Weekly.