NBA YoungBoy has pleaded guilty to gun charges while in court, and being sentenced to 23 months in prison.
The judicial ruling comes as a complex settlement was reached with prosecutors in multiple jurisdictions. The rapper, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden, resolved his last remaining criminal case by pleading guilty to one count that was tied to his arrest in Louisiana back in 2020 for gun possession.
He also pled guilty to a separate, more recent charge for gun possession which was filed in Utah.
The latter charge came in light of a raid on his Utah home, which took place in May and saw the musician taken into custody. According to Rolling Stone, the raid led to a semi-automatic pistol being found in his bedroom, as well as evidence that prosecutors said pointed to his role in a ‘large scale prescription drug fraud ring’.
Yesterday (December 10), he was sentenced to 23 months in federal prison, with credit taken for the aforementioned time in custody in May.
The 23-month sentence was negotiated by lawyers and, before the deal, Gaulden was facing up to 15 years in prison for the gun charges. There is a likelihood that he could be released much sooner than his sentence suggests.
Youngboy Never Broke Again
Youngboy Never Broke Again performs live in 2019. CREDIT: Gary Miller/Getty Images
In his plea, the rapper admitted that he was a felon in possession of a Masterpiece Arms 9 mm gun and a .45 calibre Glock Model 21 pistol. This related to when he was arrested during the filming of a music video outside his grandfather’s Louisiana home in 2020.
He then admitted he “knowingly possessed” the Sig Saier 9mm semi-automatic pistol that was found in his Louisiana home during a raid. He was serving house arrest at the time related to the aforementioned Louisiana case.
“This has been a long road that involved extensive litigation and ultimately extensive negotiation,” defence lawyers Drew Findling, Jeremy Delicino, and Jon Williams said in a statement sent to Rolling Stone. “Kentrell’s defence team is very happy for Kentrell and we look forward to his many future successes.”
The rapper’s home in Utah was raided last April in relation to claims that he was posing as a doctor to obtain prescription painkillers. He faced numerous charges of forgery, identity fraud, and unlawful conduct related to a pharmacy. He would later plead no contest to 10 charges and have the remainder dismissed in November, as per online court records highlighted by the outlet.
Gaulden will serve 60 months of probation when he is released from custody.
NBA YoungBoy broke into the music industry with his 2015 mixtape ‘Life Before Fame’. Last year, the rapper released his sixth studio LP ‘Don’t Try This At Home’.