By KATE BRUMBACK, Related Press
ATLANTA (AP) — A choose in Atlanta on Thursday denied bond for rapper Gunna, who’s charged with racketeering together with fellow rapper Younger Thug and greater than two dozen different folks.
Fulton County Superior Courtroom Choose Ural Glanville had beforehand denied bond for Gunna, whose given identify is Sergio Kitchens, and on Thursday held a listening to on the rapper’s request to rethink that call. Glanville mentioned he fearful Kitchens would possibly threaten or intimidate witnesses if he have been launched forward of trial.
Prosecutors have mentioned that Younger Thug, whose actual identify is Jeffery Lamar Williams, is a founding father of a violent road gang in Atlanta known as Younger Slime Life and that Kitchens has a administration function throughout the gang. The 88-page indictment filed in Could alleges the gang dedicated a number of murders, shootings and carjackings over roughly a decade and promoted its actions in songs and on social media.
In a press release launched on his birthday final month, Kitchens proclaimed his innocence.
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Fulton County Assistant District Legal professional Don Geary cited a number of crimes not associated to the indictment that he mentioned Kitchens might need been concerned in and mentioned the state continues to imagine he shouldn’t be launched on bond.
Steve Sadow, a lawyer for Kitchens, mentioned prosecutors had didn’t make any particular allegations or produce any proof to point out that his shopper is a risk to witnesses. Kitchens and his mother and father are prepared to place up their property as collateral and Kitchens would conform to be on home arrest with digital monitoring, Sadow mentioned.
“The one factor that Mr. Kitchens needs underneath these circumstances is to be launched, to be in his dwelling, to have the ability to produce music and meet with counsel to organize for trial on this case,” Sadow mentioned.
Kitchens, who’s signed to Williams’ Younger Stoner Life report label, scored his second No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart with “DS4Ever” this yr.
Glanville famous that he has not granted bond for any of the folks charged within the indictment. He mentioned he needs to get the case tried as rapidly as doable. It’s presently set for trial in January.
Prosecutors additionally requested in a courtroom submitting Tuesday that they be allowed to exclude contact data and residential addresses of their witnesses from data supplied to protection attorneys and to limit data concerning statements by cooperating gang members till 30 days earlier than trial. If they’re required to supply the names and phone data for all witnesses, they ask that protection attorneys not be allowed to share the witness lists with their shoppers, shoppers’ relations or anybody else.
Prosecutors mentioned they’ve “vital security considerations” for his or her witnesses based mostly on threats and violence from gang members.
Glanville on Wednesday issued a brief order instructing protection attorneys to withhold contact data of prosecution witnesses from their shoppers. He mentioned he’ll modify the order after listening to extra proof from prosecutors.
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