YFN Lucci’s attorney has addressed the speculation that the rapper will take the witness stand in Young Thug’s upcoming RICO case.
Prosecutors named Lucci — who is also behind bars on separate murder and racketeering charges — as a potential witness during a court hearing earlier this week. However, his attorney, Drew Findling, told TMZ that his client won’t be testifying at trial.
“Any party can announce for example that Abraham Lincoln is on their witness list, but those words alone are meaningless,” he said. “So, to be 100 percent clear, Rayshawn Bennett (YFN Lucci) will not be a witness in the YSL case.”
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 was denied.
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Antonio “Obama” Sumlin, one of two men prosecutors believe was behind the stabbing, took a plea deal last week. The 32-year-old was sentenced to 15 years probation after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the RICO Act, two counts of conspiracy to commit a crime and participation in criminal street gang activity.
The number of YSL co-defendants who have taken a plea deal rose to eight on Thursday (December 29), with the latest being Trontavious Stephens, who also goes by “Tick” and “Slug.” He will serve eight years probation after pleading guilty to a sole racketeering count.
Stephens agreed to testify at trial, where he won’t be able to invoke his Fifth Amendment rights on the stand. He admitted he was a founding member of YSL and that it was a gang, and also acknowledged a pair of arrests with one involving the robbery of a woman.
Meanwhile, two defendants, Tenquarius “Nard” Mender and Derontae Bebee, bucked the trend by rejecting plea deals this week. They will now head to trial alongside Young Thug, with Nard facing 50 years in prison and Bebee facing a life sentence.
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The trial is scheduled to begin on January 9. Per Atlanta-based reporter George Chidi, prosecutors view Young Thug as “the target of this case” and are seeking a conviction that will keep him behind bars.
