Gunna was released from a Georgia prison on Wednesday after pleading guilty to one charge of conspiring to violate the state’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
“I have chosen to end my own RICO case with an Alford plea and end my personal ordeal by publicly acknowledging my association with YSL,” the Atlanta rapper said in a written statement provided to ABC News on Wednesday by his attorney Steve Sadow. “An Alford plea in my case is the entry of a guilty plea to the one charge against me, which is in my best interest, while at the same time maintaining my innocence toward the same charge.”
YSL is allegedly an Atlanta street gang, which started in late 2012 and “claims affiliation with the national Bloods gang,” according to charging documents.
Gunna added that while he has “agreed to be truthful,” he was not interviewed and did not cooperate with prosecutors in this case, which involves 27 other individuals, including Young Thug, who is facing eight charges as part of the same RICO indictment.
According to the indictment, among the objectives of the alleged conspiracy were “preserving, protecting and enhancing the reputation, power and territory of the enterprise through acts of racketeering activity including murder, assault and threats of violence.”
“While I have agreed to always be truthful, I want to make it perfectly clear that I have NOT made any statements, have NOT been interviewed, have NOT cooperated, have NOT agreed to testify or be a witness for or against any party in the case and have absolutely NO intention of being involved in the trial process in any way,” Gunna said in the written statement.
The rapper, whose legal name is Sergio Kitchens, has been denied bond three times since his arrest in May in a case that sparked a national debate about the controversial use of rap lyrics as evidence in criminal cases.
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