Attorney Steve Sadow has spoken out about the persistence of “fake outrage” in connection with Gunna’s 2022 Alford plea.
As reported at the time, Gunna was released from custody in December 2022 after previously being arrested in Georgia as part of the larger YSL RICO case. Gunna opted for an Alford plea, which led to him receiving a time-served, suspended sentence. An Alford plea, to be clear, allows for an individual to maintain their innocence. Furthermore, as Gunna himself said upon his release, he did not cooperate with the authorities, nor did he agree to testify, as part of the plea.
“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 at the time.
Friday, Sadow, who served as co-lead counsel for Gunna alongside Don Samuel, reiterated the circumstances of the Alford plea. Notably, he did so in response to a report on an alleged (and unconfirmed) snippet of new Young Thug music.
“Gunna did NOT cooperate, and did NOTHING and said NOTHING to cause harm to Thug's case,” Sadow said in an X post. “He spent eight months in jail and was released in Dec. 2022 after entering an Alford plea. Gunna's plea could not and was not used at Thug's trial and he was never even named as a witness. He received a five-year suspended sentence, with no reporting, no travel restrictions, no living restrictions, AND NO PROBATION.”
Sadow continued, “Over the last two years, from media reports, he has performed all over the world, achieved international fame and recognition, and earned millions of dollars. Conversely, Thug went to trial and eventually pled guilty and nolo after spending 30 months in jail, received 15 years probation, with reporting conditions and is not even allowed to live in Atlanta. THOSE THAT HAVE AND CONTINUE TO BAD MOUTH GUNNA, GET OVER IT. NUFF' SAID.”
In a follow-up post, Sadow pointed out that both Gunna and Thug were initially facing the same potential sentence in connection with the same allegations.
“Regardless, I’m more than willing to accept the blame for the great deal,” he added.
This isn't the first time Sadow has addressed social media claims about Gunna's Alford plea.
Thug was revealed to have taken a plea deal in the case last October, paving the way for his own release. Erin Haney, the chief policy officer at REFORM Alliance, later spoke with Shawn Setaro for Complex about the stipulations of Thug’s freedom, including the “special conditions” of his probation. Per Haney, Thug had a team of “phenomenal lawyers” behind him in the case, which ultimately led to his freedom.