After reaching a complex global settlement with prosecutors in multiple jurisdictions, rap star NBA YoungBoy resolved his last remaining criminal cases Tuesday by pleading guilty to one count linked to his 2020 gun possession arrest in Louisiana and a separate count tied to a more recent gun charge filed in Utah.
The rapper, born Kentrell Gaulden, was sentenced on the spot to 23 months in federal prison with credit for time served dating back to at least May, when he was taken into custody following a raid on his Utah home. The raid turned up a semi-automatic pistol in his bedroom and evidence pointing to his role in what prosecutors called a large-scale prescription drug fraud ring.
Considering the rapper previously spent seven months in custody on the Louisiana charge several years ago, he could be released much sooner than his sentence suggests, possibly even to a halfway house next year. Before the negotiated deal, he was facing possible maximums of 10 and 15 years on the dueling gun charges.
“This has been a long road that involved extensive litigation and ultimately extensive negotiation. Kentrell’s defense team is very happy for Kentrell and we look forward to his many future successes,” defense lawyers Drew Findling, Jeremy Delicino, and Jon Williams said in a statement sent to Rolling Stone.
In his plea agreement, Gaulden admitted he was a felon in possession of a Masterpiece Arms 9 mm gun and a .45 caliber Glock Model 21 pistol when he was arrested filming a music video outside his grandfather’s house in Baton Rouge on Sept. 28, 2020. He further admitted he “knowingly possessed” the Sig Sauer 9mm semi-automatic pistol found in the Utah home where he was serving house arrest related to the pending Louisiana case.
Officials raided the Utah home last April as they investigated the claim Gaulden was posing as a doctor to obtain prescription painkillers. He was slapped with dozens of charges alleging forgery, identity fraud, and unlawful conduct related to a pharmacy. He pleaded no contest to 10 charges in November and had the rest of the case dismissed, online court records show. As part of his plea deal in the federal case, a separate state prosecution involving the gun found during the raid was dismissed.
Once released from custody, Gaulden will serve 60 months of probation, the federal judge who sentenced him Tuesday said. The 24-year-old rapper raised in Baton Rouge has been one of the industry’s most prolific artists since releasing his first mixtape, Life Before Fame, in April 2015. His fourth LP, The Last Slimeto, earned positive reviews when it was released while he was under house arrest.
