An Atlanta judge has put rapper Young Thug’s trial on racketeering charges on hold indefinitely after his lawyers asked the judge to recuse himself over misconduct allegations.
The lawyers said Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville held an “improper” meeting on 10 June when he met privately with prosecutors and a key witness.
Defence attorneys have alleged that Judge Glanville sought to pressure the witness into testifying and they pressed him to recuse himself, motions which the judge had denied.
Judge Glanville announced from the bench on Monday that he would release the private meeting’s transcript and send the recusal motions to another judge.
Judge Glanville said the trial would remain in recess until another judge decides whether he should remain on the case.
The move is the latest delay in the trial for Atlanta rapper Jeffery Lamar Williams, whose case has only inched forward since his arrest in May 2022.
Jury selection for the trial – which has included testimony from dozens of witnesses – took nearly 10 months.
Prosecutors have accused the Atlanta rapper of co-founding a violent street gang in his hometown, hitting him with racketeering charges.
Georgia prosecutors used the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (Rico) Act – famously used in mafia prosecutions – to charge the rapper and 27 associates who were allegedly involved in the criminal enterprise.
Mr Williams, 32, is also charged with gang, drug and gun crimes and is standing trial with five of the others indicted with him.
The judge’s announcement on Monday arrived after Young Thug’s lead attorney, Brian Steel, was found in criminal contempt last month.
Mr Steel had questioned Judge Glanville about the meeting with prosecutors and the witness and refused to reveal who told him about it.
Judge Glanville then ordered Mr Steel to serve 20 weekend days in jail, but the Georgia Supreme Court stayed the decision as Mr Steel appeals.
Prosecutors expressed concern about the effects of delaying the trial further on the jury.
“Do we have a timeline of when the motion to recuse might be heard?” Simone Hylton, a deputy Fulton County district attorney and key prosecutor on the case, asked.
“I don’t know,” Judge Glanville replied. “I don’t have anything to do with that.”
