A sixth defendant in the sweeping YSL RICO indictment entered a negotiated guilty plea on Thursday.
Antonio Sumlin, 32, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the racketeer influenced and corrupt organizations act, two counts of conspiracy to commit a crime and participation in criminal street gang activity.
Sumlin was sentenced to 15 years of probation. Conditions of the plea agreement include a curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. unless he is working, going to school or a medical emergency arises; and no contact with any of the co-defendants.
As part of the deal, Sumlin will testify “truthfully” if asked to during the trial but reserves the right to invoke the Fifth Amendment.
Sumlin joined Atlanta rappers Slimelife Shawty, Gunna and Lil Duke and co-defendants Walter Murphy and Quantavious Grier in entering guilty pleas in the past two weeks. Most have already been released from jail.
With less than a month before trial starts, the six plea deals bring the remaining number of defendants to 22, including Young Thug. Jury selection is set to start Jan. 4.
There were 28 defendants named in the original indictment. Prosecutors have argued that YSL is a gang and Young Thug is one of its leaders and founders. Defense attorneys say it’s just a record label.
On Thursday, attorneys spent most of the morning questioning DeKalb County jail investigator Quinton Hall on his qualifications as an expert on gang classifications within the jail.
Hall testified that he has identified more than 50 gang members at the facility, including co-defendant Cordarius Dorsey, and has over 100 hours of training in that subject.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Dorsey’s attorney, Suri Chadha Jimenez, argued Hall didn’t know much about gangs inside the jail. He said prosecutors are trying to get as many “experts” as possible to testify at trial.
“This is going to be a six to nine month (long) trial, not because of the evidence but because of the sideshow (prosecutors) are trying to put up,” Jimenez said. “They are trying to get everything in, everything that has nothing do to with the facts of the case.”
Dorsey, who was sentenced to life in prison last week for a 2019 DeKalb County murder, is accused of holding a leadership position within YSL.
According to the indictment, Dorsey allegedly ordered and directed Sumlin to kill a fellow gang member for disrespecting Dorsey and refusing to put money in his account while was locked up. He is charged with conspiracy to violate the RICO act and conspiracy to commit a crime.
Jimenez argued prosecutors are trying to group in people who are not experts with those who actually in an effort to bolster the state’s testimony.
“If you put them all there, they all sound very important but they are not,” he said.
Judge Ural Glanville seemed to side with the defense attorneys, saying he would not qualify Hall as an expert at this time.
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