Tag: racketeering

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FM Community Jail Tales Trending

Gunna and Goodr Gift over $100,000 in Gift Cards

Goodr and Gunna Gift $100,000
Gunna attends his DS4EVER LA Listening Party. Image source: Alberto E. Rodriguez, Getty Images for DS4EVER.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and Gunna is ready to raise spirits! The 5th annual “Great Giveaway,” featuring Gunna, in partnership with Goodr Organization and Wal-Mart, tried to make this happen for many families. 

Unfortunately, due to safety concerns, Walmart cut ties with the organization and the artist. 

Moreover, Goodr released a statement, to AllHipHop, regarding the changing events. 

“Gunna and the entire Goodr team were looking forward to brightening the holidays of the 1,000 families that registered.” In addition, “We are aware of how much the promised gifts meant to those families, and we are collectively working to find an alternate solution. Registered families will be updated about the event’s status. Goodr apologizes for any inconvenience this unexpected turn of events has caused.”

Ultimately, Gunna and Goodr take matters into their own hands to spread holiday cheer. The organization and Gunna will distribute $100 gift cards to the pre-registered families in College Park.

The CEO and founder of Goodr, Jasmine Crowe, also released a statement on social media.

“It was essential to Gunna, his Great Giveaway Family Foundation, and Goodr to make sure that families received the assistance promised to them no matter what.” 

Gunna’s Racketeering Charges

At a virtual hearing on Dec 14, Sergio Kitchens, known as Gunna, was released from prison and pleaded guilty to a racketeering conspiracy charge. Therefore as a part of the YSL, Young Slime Life, Kitchen’s sentence held five-years total with one year in prison. The indictment is against the label and also Young Thug.

According to prosecutors, the YSL alleges it is a criminal street gang that claims affiliations with the Bloods. Young Thug, Gunna, and 26 others faced racketeering charges back in 2021.

Moreover, Young Thug is hit with new charges including possession of a machine gun. The charges are in relation back in 2015, when Thug rented a vehicle that was involved in the murder of Donovan “peanut” Thomas Jr. Judge Glanville has denied the motion to throw out any evidence.

Additionally, the two artists have been incarcerated in the last six months with many denied bond requests. Nonetheless,  judge Ural Glanville confirmed the legal proceedings to begin on January 9, 2023, reports 11Alive.

As a result, Gunna clarifies he will not be in any involvement with the authorities, he tells WSBN-TV.

Written By: Abbi-Rae De La Rosa| Twitter: @justabbi_

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FM Legal Jail Tales

Young Thug Denied Bond Again In Racketeering Case

Young Thug
Photo Credit: Urban Islandz

Young Thug is definitely paying time for several alleged crimes. According to TMZ, Thugger Thugger was denied bail for the third time. The “Ski” rapper heard the denial while in the courtroom today. He, amongst other YSL members, was detained for being a part of a 56-count indictment. 

The charges include murder, drug and gun possession, witness intimidation, carjacking, robbery, theft, and drug dealing. In turn, the musicians have violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. 

The law enforcement is standing firm on their decision because they believe Thug is the ring leader of the YSL assemble and that he should remain locked up. 

Young Thug, on the other hand, is fighting for his freedom. His lawyer, Brian Steel, told the court that Thugger is willing to be on 24-hour home confinement. Steel also said that the prosecution was creating an insignificant point by using old lyrics from 2014 as evidence. 

After the judge made his decision, Steel told TMZ

 “The Court is honorable, and we respect its rulings. Justice will not be denied. We are totally focused on preparation for our upcoming trial and we remain steadfast in our efforts to defend Mr. Williams against these false allegations.”

Photo Credit: Atlanta Journal Constitution

Thug was previously denied bail twice following his arrest in May. Sources assume that he’ll be locked up until early 2023. 

Some time ago, the 300 Ent signee dropped a freestyle from prison. While on the phone with his nephew and a YSL member, he rapped

“I’m just sitting here in my cell like, ‘Damn, I’m really in jail’/God, give me another chance to show you I can prevail/I could put my arms from wall to wall inside this tiny-ass cell.” and “I tried to cry but ain’t nothing left/I contemplated doing myself, n*gga/The most suicides deaths are in this jail/But let’s not forget that this ain’t Hell.” 

He also dropped a special message for his fans during Hot97’s Summer Jam. 

“I just want to say thank you to all of my friends and my family for coming out and supporting us. You know, your support during this time means a lot to us. This isn’t just about me or YSL. I always use my music as a form of artistic expression, and now I see that Black artists and rappers don’t have that freedom. So everybody, please sign the ‘Protect Black Art’ petition and keep praying for us. I love you all.”

Photo Credit: Urban Islandz

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FM Legal Trending

R Kelly Victim Doubts Rehab “There’s never gonna be any change”

r kelly
Photo by Mike Pont/Getty

After several decades in the spotlight, R&B singer R Kelly is finally convicted of racketeering and several sex crimes.

Keeping the faith

Faith Rodgers is one of many women taken advantage of by Robert Kelly over the span of his career. Those victims thankfully received justice this past week (Jun 30). While Kelly still has another federal trial to go, the 30-year sentence from judge Ann Donnelly is nothing to scoff at.

TMZ spoke with Rodgers last year following his New York conviction to gain some perspective. Eerily enough, Faith claimed even then that Kelly was a lost cause and still headed down a dark path. Recently. We saw this come to fruition. “If you take accountability and make change you can change, but if you don’t take accountability there’s never gonna be any change.” She explained upon being asked about the possibility of Robert’s redemption. Unlike Akon, who told TMZ that same day he believes Kelly can change with the help of God, Faith isn’t so optimistic.

the mask comes off R Kelly

The 24-year-old first filed a suit against Robert Kelly in 2018. She accused the Chicagoan of “mentally, sexually and verbally” abusing her during their time together. In addition to this, she alleges Kelly gave her an STD. quickly following her lawsuit, Faith featured as one of the victims on the Surviving R. Kelly doc. This highly controversial Lifetime program catapulted the singer back into the spotlight for his crimes and spurred a massive public backlash. It’s widely believed Surviving R Kelly and its subsequent sequels gave many of his victims the courage to press harder with their legal proceedings.

Faith finished her interview with a loud and clear message for black victims of sexual assault still seeking justice.

“Keep putting your abusers in the position they should be in, [just] keep putting them in jail, keep holding them accountable. [Just] Keep them away from your kids, your daughters.”

With this latest conviction, it’s a guarantee of one less abuser on the streets. However, Robert Kelly to this day doesn’t see himself this way. When the rumors first broke years ago, until the present day R Kelly has vehemently denied all sex crime accusations. He famously appeared on CBS This Morning with Gayle King back in 2019 to further deny the claims. Of course, this only turned the ‘Ignition’ singer into a bit of a laughing stock. Complete with memes and remixes of the tumultuous interview.

Since then, it’s been nothing but bad fortune for Kelly, just as Rodgers predicted.

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Dreema Carrington|IG: @dr3amgirl79 | Twitter: @notdreema