ATLANTA — As the YSL RICO trial against rapper Young Thug and his co-defendants remains at a standstill, a transcript of what happened in a meeting involving a key witness has been released.
The trial was put on hold Monday as a decision awaits on whether Chief Judge Ural Glanville can remain on the case following some defendants seeking to have him recused.
Now, Judge Glanville released the transcript of a meeting he held last month that included Kenneth Copeland, also known as rapper "Lil Woody."
Copeland was arrested on June 7 and held in contempt after refusing to testify on the stand as part of an immunity agreement. A few days later, in the judge's chambers, prosecutors shared an email sent to them by Copeland's attorney accusing them of making him a target by forcing him to testify. They also said his attorney was threatening to pull out of the case.
Prosecutors later told Copeland that if he still refused to take the stand, he could be in jail until every defendant had their cases decided. He did eventually testify.
Copeland had an attorney present for the meeting, but she was a stand-in for his usual lawyer, who was out of town.
However, this meeting caused controversy and even prompted an attorney to be held in contempt.
Young Thug's attorney, Brian Steele, was at the center of the heated exchange with Judge Glanville about this meeting. He was held in contempt of court after refusing to disclose his source regarding information shared in this ex-parte meeting.
Judge Glanville had threatened Steel with contempt several times, but he continuously refused. Steel insinuated that the court was committing "coercion" as no representation for his client was invited to the meeting.
"I need you to tell me how you got this information. This is so sacrosanct to have a conversation in my chambers parroted to you," Glanville said.
Steele had also been sentenced to a 20-day jail sentence, which has been reversed after the state Supreme Court granted him bond. On Monday, the judge ordered that motions filed to have him recused from the case should be sent to another judge before the case could resume. The judge said there was no timeline and that the trial would not continue until a decision was made on his recusal.
Glanville has previously denied three motions for his recusal or disqualification from the case. Last week, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled it would not pause the case. During this hearing, Judge Glanville also ruled that the transcript of the June 10 ex-parte meeting should be released.
Read the full transcript of this meeting below.
More on the Young Thug, YSL trial
On May 9, 2022, the hip-hop world was jolted with the news that rapper Young Thug—a Grammy winner, trendsetter and Atlanta icon—had been arrested.
It's been over two years now that the artist, whose legal name is Jeffery Williams, has remained behind bars. The central charge against him is that three letters with which his name has become synonymous because of his artistic success in launching the "Young Stoner Life" label, YSL, actually signalize a violent gang: Young Slime Life.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis named Williams, among other metro Atlanta rappers and those with ties to the alleged gang, to bring charges against a total of 28 people in a sweeping 88-page indictment. The case alleges that not only is Young Thug among the gang's members, but he is also its kingpin.
"He is the one they're all afraid of," a prosecutor said at a June 2022 hearing. "He's the one that's King Slime."
A long pretrial process passed to an even longer jury selection process, and across this time, the co-defendant list dwindled with plea deals and other circumstances, keeping some of the individuals charged from remaining on the case.
The trial finally began in earnest in November 2023, already considered the longest in Georgia's history.
11Alive has tracked key developments in the case and highlighted moments in the courtroom. Follow along in the timeline below.