Lil Wayne, Birdman and Rich Homie Quan are among the star-studded names on the State’s witness list from the prosecution in Young Thug’sYSL RICO case.
With jury selection set to begin on Wednesday (January 4) to kick off the high-profile trial, WSB-TV‘s Michael Seiden has revealed part of the State’s notable witness list which also includes YFN Lucci.
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Birdman headed the Rich Gang collective that helped usher Thugger into the mainstream, which fellow ATLien Rich Homie Quan was affiliated with. As for Wayne, his 2015 tour bus shooting was named in the YSL indictment.
According to the New York Times, prosecutors pointed out that the man who shot at Weezy’s bus, Jimmy Winfrey (also known as Peewee Roscoe), has ties to YSL. Winfrey is also part of the YSL indictment, charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
At the time of the tour bus shooting, both Young Thug and Birdman were listed as co-conspirators, although they were never charged.
Seiden added that a judge granted permission for the defense attorneys of all 14 YSL defendants to view the jury pool as they listen to the indictment.
While YFN Lucci is named in the potential witness list, his attorney, Drew Findling, has already shot down the idea of his client ever taking the stand. Lucci is behind bars on separate murder and racketeering charges.
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YFN Lucci’s involvement in the RICO case came to light when it was reported that Young Thug allegedly ordered a hit on the rapper, who was stabbed while in jail earlier this year.
Legal documents revealed there was a bounty on Lucci’s head and he begged the judge to sentence him to house arrest, but his request was denied. Antonio “Obama” Sumlin, one of two men prosecutors believe was behind the stabbing, took a plea deal last month.
Others potentially testifying throughout the trial include Killer Mike (real name Michael Render), whose recent track “Run” features Young Thug, as well as Lyor Cohen, who co-founded 300 Entertainment with Kevin Liles, which Thugger signed to in 2014.
Liles is another potential witness. He previously took the stand to showcase his support for Young Thug and called for the end of song lyrics being used against his signee in the courtroom.
Thug’s ex-girlfriend Jerrika Karlae, Sony Music executive Kelechi Aharanwa, and attorneys for Lil Duke (Ashleigh Merchant) and YSL co-founder Walter Murphy (Jacoby Hudson) were also named as possibilities to be called to the stand.
