VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA - JUNE 16: Rapper Young Thug performs onstage during Breakout Festival 2019 at PNE Amphitheatre on June 16, 2019 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Andrew Chin/Getty Images)
The defense attorney for Grammy Award-winning rapper Young Thug found himself behind bars after a heated confrontation with the judge overseeing the high-profile racketeering trial.
On Monday, Fulton County Judge Ural Glanville held lawyer Brian Steel in contempt of court for refusing to reveal the source that informed him of alleged secret meetings between the judge, prosecutors and a key witness in the case.
The clash began when Steel accused the judge and prosecutors of engaging in under-the-table discussions with witness Kevin Copeland, who had recently been jailed for refusing to testify despite an immunity deal. Glanville gave Steel a five-minute ultimatum to disclose his informant, but the attorney defiantly refused, which led to the judge’s order for his arrest.
As Steel was escorted out of the courtroom, a stoic Young Thug, whose legal name is Jeffrey Williams, observed with his arms crossed. The lawyer was later allowed to return, but Glanville warned him that he would be taken back into custody if he failed to reveal the source by the end of the day.
True to his word, the judge later ordered Steel to be jailed for “20 days consisting of every weekend for the next 10 weekends.” The attorney was initially directed to report to the Rice Street jail but was granted his request to serve his time in the Cobb County Jail, where Young Thug is also being held.
The ongoing trial, which began in November 2023, is already considered the longest-running proceeding in Georgia state history. Young Thug was arrested in May 2022 on allegations that he was the ringleader of a criminal gang.
Renowned for his unconventional vocal delivery, the rapper is viewed as an integral figure in the evolution of contemporary hip-hop and trap music, as well as a trailblazer within the emerging mumble rap subgenre.
Despite the dramatic courtroom incident, the trial is expected to continue, with Copeland expected to retake the witness stand on Tuesday.
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