The Atlanta lawyer for Grammy Award-winning rapper Young Thug was arraigned in court on Monday and ordered to serve 10 weeks in custody after angrily refuting a judge over alleged secret meetings with prosecutors.
Attorney Brian Steele was found in contempt of court by Fulton County Judge Ural Granville, who is overseeing the “Trance” rapper’s fraud trial, after he refused to reveal sources about alleged backroom deals between the judge, prosecutors and a key witness. Reported by 11ALIVE.
“Give me five minutes and if you don’t tell me who it is I’m going to insult you,” Glanville insisted during the heated exchange.
“I don’t need five minutes,” Steele retorted. He then filed a motion for a mistrial, which was denied.
Judge Granville then ordered the lawyer removed from the courtroom and remanded in custody.
Steele removed his jacket and tie as officers led him away, and his high-ranking client had his arms crossed and stared ahead, according to 11ALIVE video.
The spokesman said the defendant was allowed to return to court about an hour later.
Judge Glanville allowed Steele to appear in court but warned he would be remanded in custody if he did not reveal his source by the end of the day.
On Monday night Judge Granville remanded Steele in custody and ordered that he serve 20 days in prison “for each weekend for the next 10 weeks”.
A judge initially ordered Steele to report to Rice Street Jail, but agreed to Steele’s request to serve his sentence at Cobb County Jail, where Young Thug is also held. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Brian Steele’s law firm did not immediately respond to The Washington Post’s request for comment on the order.
Young Thug (real name Jeffrey Williams) He was arrested in May 2022 on charges of being a gang leader in Georgia..
His trial is set to begin in November 2023 and is already considered the longest trial in state history.
The witness Steele claimed had been meeting secretly with the judge and prosecutors, Kevin Copeland, who, despite having an immunity agreement in exchange for his cooperation, refused to testify and spent last weekend in jail, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
He is due to return to the stand on Tuesday, the outlet said.
