Posts Tagged: bond hearing

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Judge denies bond again for rapper Gunna, will remain in jail until trial

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Atlanta rapper Gunna received more bad news during a virtual court appearance in Fulton County, Georgia on Thursday.

Gunna was indicted on RICO gang charges along with rapper Young Thug and 26 others in May. A magistrate judge denied Gunna's request for a bond and handed the decision to a superior court judge. That judge denied Gunna's bond again on Thursday.

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Gunna, whose real name is Sergio Kitchens, turned himself in on May 11. He is housed at the Fulton County Jail, while Young Thug was transferred to the notorious Cobb County Detention Center near Atlanta on May 13.

A prosecutor called Gunna a "commander" of the Young Slime Life (YSL) street gang with the power to order hits on people.

According to WSB-TV's Michael Seiden, Gunna offered to pay a $750,000 cash secured bond, forfeit three properties, put up his parents' homes for bond, and allow prosecutors to record all of his phone calls.

But the judge denied all of the proposed terms.

BACKGRID

In a typed letter released on his social media accounts in June, Gunna said he was an innocent man.

"I don't have my freedom. But I am innocent," he wrote in the 2-page letter posted on his Instagram page on June 14.

He said, "the picture being painted of me is ugly and untrue," and he stated that he has "faith that God will grant me justice for the purity in my heart and the innocence of my actions.

He also addressed Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis using his rap lyrics against him in the RICO case:

"As a Black man in America, it seems as though my art is only acceptable when I'm a source of entertainment for the masses. My art is not allowed to stand alone as entertainment, I'm not allowed that freedom as a Black man in America."

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Teen charged with threatening to kill Fulton County sheriff, wife if YSL member wasn’t released from jail

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Fulton County Sheriff's Office

The Fulton County Sheriff's Office charged Quartavius Mender, 18, with making death threats against Fulton County Sheriff Patrick "Pat" Labat and his wife, Jacki Labat.

Mender is charged with 23 felony counts for making terroristic threats, Channel 2 Action News reports.

The teen is accused of threatening to kill the Labats if a certain high-ranking member of the Young Slim Life (YSL) record label and street gang wasn't released from the Fulton County Jail.

The death threats were made in social media posts, according to sources.

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Facebook

"We take these kinds of brazen threats seriously," Sheriff Pat Labat told reporters. "Social media cyberbullying, and hiding behind a keyboard will not protect someone from criminal prosecution. Our investigators are diligent in seeking individuals who mean to do harm to anybody, and I am grateful to them for ensuring the safety of myself, my wife, and all citizens of Fulton County."

Rappers Young Thug and Gunna are among 28 people charged with violating Georgia's RICO laws in a sweeping 88-page indictment last month.

Gunna, who turned himself in on May 11, is housed at the Fulton County Jail, while Young Thug was transferred to the notorious Cobb County Detention Center near Atlanta on May 13.

According to Channel 2 Action News, one of the names listed in the indictment is Tenquarius Mender, who is housed at the Fulton County Jail. Channel 2 is working to confirm if Quartavius Mender and Tenquarius Mender are related.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has accused YSL gang members of committing over 50 murders and gun violence across Atlanta since 2012.

Young Thug, born Jeffery Williams, was again denied bond during an hours-long hearing before a Superior Court judge in Atlanta on Thursday, June 2.

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The rapper watched the hearing remotely from a small room at the Cobb County Detention Center for nearly 10 hours.

The judge denied bond even though Young Thug's attorneys promised to hire a team of off-duty law enforcement officers to guard him 24 hours a day during home confinement.

Attorney Brian Steel said his client offered to be on house arrest at any one of his four Atlanta-area homes before trial, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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Gunna Denied Bond, Prosecutor Called Him YSL ‘Commander’

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An Atlanta judge denied bond for rapper Gunna during a bond hearing on Monday, May 23.

Gunna, real name Sergio Kitchens, will remain jailed until his trial in January 2023. The rapper pleaded not guilty at the hearing. This is the second time he has been denied bond since his arrest on May 13.

A prosecutor called Gunna a "commander" of the Young Slime Life (YSL) street gang with the ability to order hits on people.

Prosecutors also filed to have Gunna's attorney, Brian Steel, removed, citing conflict of interest, because he represents others charged in the case.

According to WSB-TV's Michael Seiden, Gunna's attorney proposed the following terms of bond:

  • House arrest with electronic monitoring

  • $750,000 cash secured bond

  • Forfeiture of three properties

  • Gunna's parents put up their homes to secure bond

  • Allow prosecutors to record all phone calls

 
The judge denied all of the proposed terms.

Prince Williams/Wireimage[/caption

Young Thug (left) and Gunna are among 28 people arrested and charged with racketeering and gang activity in Atlanta.

Prosecutors accused Thug of being the ringleader of a violent street gang responsible for over 50 murders across Atlanta.

Thug, born Jeffery Williams, was scheduled to appear in court on Monday, but his bond hearing was pushed to June. His bond request was also denied.

Prosecutors transferred Young Thug from the Fulton County Jail to Georgia's notorious Cobb County Jail, where three inmates allegedly died in the past month.




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YFN Lucci’s Attorney Files Emergency Bond Hearing

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YFN Lucci is in fear of his life after Young Thug, Gunna, and 26 members of the notorious YSL street gang were arrested in a sweeping criminal indictment last week.

Attorneys for the rapper filed a motion for an emergency bond hearing after Young Thug and Gunna were named in a 56-count indictment alleging RICO violations nd criminal gang activity.

The Fulton County DA alleges Young Thug ordered 2 YSL gang members to stab YFN Lucci in jail earlier this year.

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"On behalf of Mr. Bennett, we maintain that if the District Attorney's office is sincerely concerned for Mr. Bennett's well being, they should agree to release him on bond, Lucci's lawyer said in a statement on Wednesday.

Celebrity manager Wack 100 reportedly said Lucci agreed to snitch on Young Thug and Gunna, prompting Thug to have him killed in jail.

"Lucci's name ain't in this case. Lucci on the victim's side. So Lucci telling," Wack 100 said on the Clubhouse app. "Ain't none of us know how this sh*t about to go. These people ain't show their real hand yet. They're showing the bare minimum my ni**a. Remember, I told you that. I hope [Young Thug] does come home, but we're just being real about it."

Thug's attorney recently filed a motion for his client's release after describing his living conditions as being "in dungeon-like conditions."

However, the Cobb County Sheriff's Office dismissed the accusations in a statement to WSB-TV. "This is a jail, it is a detention center. It's not the Ritz Carlton, so you have to recognize that."

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Florida rapper charged in ‘violent and horrific’ kidnapping can go free on $250K bond, judge rules

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Miramar PD

An aspiring rapper and two others have been charged in the "violent and horrific" kidnapping of a South Florida couple.

Rapper Spanish Zanotti, 26 (left), Dionte Alexander-Wilcox, and Antonio James are accused of kidnapping a Miramar couple on Oct. 11 and holding them at gunpoint for almost 24 hours, the South Florida SunSentinel reports.

Zanotti, real name Kejuan Brandon, can go free if he pays $250,000 bond, a federal magistrate ruled on Monday.

But his accomplice, Alexander-Wilcox, was ordered to remain in jail pending trial. A third suspect, James, is scheduled for a detention hearing next week.

Police said the three suspects forced their way into the couple's home and accused the couple's nephew of stealing $20,000 from them. They ordered the couple to pay their nephew's debt in cash.

"This wasn't a couple of hours or a couple minutes," said U.S. State's Attorney Jay Alexander. "This was for a full day. They stayed overnight, ate food, drank their liquor."

A video posted on Zanotti's Instagram page shows him being taken into custody by a violent offender squad on December 18.

Someone captioned the video:

"They took our boy today. We were able to speak to splash and he's staying positive and in good spirits. He wants to let everyone of his fans know that he loves y’all and that we gon get through this together. He wants y’all to post anything positive you can about him right now. They’re trying to paint him for something he’s not and we need to show the world the true light that he is. Free Splash Zanotti #freesplash.

 

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Ghislaine Maxwell denied release on bond, Pleads not guilty on child trafficking charges

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Ghislaine Maxwell pleaded not guilty to charges of child sex trafficking during a bail hearing on Tuesday. She appeared in a Manhattan courtroom via CCTV video from jail.

Manhattan federal judge Alison Nathan said Maxwell is a "substantial risk of flight." The judge added "the risks are simply too great" to release Maxwell on house arrest with an ankle monitor.

Judge Nathan said Maxwell could simply remove the ankle monitor and flee the country back to Europe.

The judge noted Maxwell has access to $20 million in foreign bank accounts that she has not accounted for.

Maxwell was ordered to be detained without bond pending trial on July 12, 2021.

The 58-year-old British socialite was arrested on July 2 at her million-dollar hideaway in New Hampshire.

Maxwell was Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged madam who procured young girls for parties at Epstein's home and on his private island.

The convicted pedophile committed suicide in a Manhattan jail cell last year.

Maxwell is under heavy guard and on suicide watch at a Brooklyn lockup.

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Harvey Weinstein violated the terms of his release, tampered with ankle monitor

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Harvey Weinstein was dragged into Manhattan Supreme Court today to face a judge after he allegedly violated the terms of his release.

Weinstein, 67, is accused of tampering with his ankle monitor. Prosecutors asked a judge to raise Weinstein's bond from $1 million to $5 million.

Weinstein wore a grey men's tailed suit for his court appearance on Friday. He looked pale and weak and required assistance to walk in and out of the courtroom.

The disgraced Hollywood producer is accused of sexually harassing, assaulting, or raping dozens of women. He is currently out of jail on bond.

Assistant DA Joan Illuzzi-Orbon told the judge a monitoring service was unable to track Weinstein 56 times, including during an outing in October when he was spotted in a nightclub.

"The bottom line, judge, is this man could fly out on a private jet which he does and go to another country," she said.

In addition to asking the judge to raise Weinstein's bond, she also asked for an additional $10 million insurance company bond or $50 million security bond. She said he sold $60 million in property in the last two years, flies on private jets and is a serious flight risk, according to Fox News.

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Judge Sets Bond at $100,000 for Jussie Smollett, ‘Greatest Evil in This Country’

Jussie Smollett

Jussie Smollett will soon be a free man. A Cook County (Chicago) judge set the actor's bond at $100,000 at a bond hearing on Thursday. The Empire star was arrested early Thursday and charged with disorderly conduct for filing a false police report, a Class 4 felony in Illinois.

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