The Atlanta judge overseeing Young Thug's gang trial held the rapper's attorney in criminal contempt of court Monday (June 10) in a bizarre episode that centers on allegations of a secret meeting between the judge, prosecutors and a key witness .
Then power of attorney Brian Steele argued that the so-called ex parte meeting involved the improper coercion of a sworn witness, judge Ural Glanville he repeatedly asked Steel to reveal who had informed him of a one-on-one meeting in his chambers. “If you don't tell me how you got this information, you and I will be in trouble.”
Steel refused to do so, saying the meeting itself was the problem. “You must have no communication with a sworn witness,” he told the judge. During the meeting, Steel said he was told prosecutors and the judge pressured the witness, Kenneth Copeland, to testify, saying he could be in prison for a long time if he didn't.
“If that's true, that's coercion, witness intimidation,” Steele told Glanville, arguing that the defense attorney should have been notified of a meeting involving a sworn witness and that it was grounds for a mistrial.
After Steel continued to refuse to share where he got the information, Glanville held him in contempt and eventually ordered him taken into custody. As he was led out of the courtroom into custody, Steele told the judge that Thug did not want to proceed without his lawyer present: “You're taking away his right to a lawyer.”
The move to impeach Steel led to confusion in the courtroom. Thug's other lawyer, Keith Adams, said he could not proceed without his counsel, and even prosecutors requested that Steel be present for the rest of the day if the trial was to proceed with a deposition. Judge Glanville eventually agreed, allowing Steel back in, but said he had not softened his stance.
“You will be taken into custody at 5 o'clock today … unless you tell me who this is,” the judge said. “This is criminal contempt. I have asked you a question about this particular procedure and if you do not tell me you will suffer the consequences.''
It's unclear whether the contempt will affect Steel's ability to continue representing Thug as the case moves forward. Steel did not immediately return a request for comment Monday.
Thug (Jeffery Williams) and dozens of others were indicted in May 2022 over allegations that his group “YSL” was not actually a record label called “Young Stoner Life” but a violent Atlanta gang called “Young Slime Life “. Prosecutors allege the group committed murders, carjackings, armed robberies, drug trafficking and other crimes over a decade.
Jury selection began in January 2023, but the trial itself did not begin until November and has been plagued by numerous delays since then. With dozens of witnesses yet to testify in the prosecution's case, the trial is expected to last into 2025.
