ATLANTA — Attorneys are pushing for Atlanta rapper Gunna to be released on bond for the fourth time ahead of his trial - just five days after a judge denied his previous motion.
The music artist, whose real name is Sergio Kitchens, has been in the Fulton County Jail since his arrest in May after being indicted on Rico charges earlier this year.
Over two dozen people, including rapper Young Thug, were indicted in the Fulton County RICO case investigating ties to Young Slime Life. Prosecutors allege YSL is a gang behind several crimes in the Atlanta area.
At Thursday’s proceedings, the prosecution stated potential witness intimidation as a reason to deny the rapper bond.
Previously, when Kitchens’ attorney, Steve Sadow, filed his September bond motion, he argued there was insufficient evidence to warrant keeping Kitchens in custody. He also argued Kitchens should be released because his name was removed from some of the more serious crimes in the indictment.
Review of Gunna’s case
Gunna’s charges are not as extensive as Young Thug’s: He only faces one count of conspiracy to violate RICO - essentially, being a gang member. The sprawling 88-page indictment only mentions Gunna - legal name Sergio Kitchens - a few times, most of them using his social media posts or song lyrics as evidence of gang membership.
His more concrete allegations include theft by receiving stolen property (a gun), possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possession of hydrocodone with intent to distribute and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. These are alleged acts “of racketeering activity, and an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy” and qualify him for the felony offense of “participation in criminal street gang activity.”
One other allegation: The rapper was allegedly involved in a traffic stop incident with Young Thug in 2018. Officers stopped two cars in the incident, where four individuals in one car were “armed with many weapons with high capacity magazines including an AK-47 with a 30-round magazine.”