NBA YoungBoy has scored a short-term victory as his legal team was able to convince a federal judge to block video evidence by the prosecution in his Baton Rouge case.
The Louisiana rapper is facing federal gun charges in California as well as Baton Rouge and is currently out on house arrest as he awaits trial. NBA YoungBoy, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden, was charged for illegal possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and illegal possession of an unregistered firearm in Baton Rouge in September 2020 and in Los Angeles last March.
The Baton Rouge case comes from the Sept. 28, 2020 incident in which YoungBoy and 15 other people were arrested while filming a music video at a vacant lot. According to the details, police had recovered a firearm from his cameraman, who fled when police officers arrived.
Police had also found a firearm in Gaulden’s Acura sports car. While his legal team was able to get the video evidence inadmissible, their motion to have the guns be inadmissible was unsuccessful as U.S District judge Shelly Dick denied the motion.
The video in question is from the video camera which was used by the cameraman shows footage of Gaulden holding firearms.
The judge explained the reason behind ruling the video footage inadmissible, saying that several legal issues arose, which included whether the camera found at the scene of a suspected possession crime belonged to Gaulden and if there is probable cause to search the camera for photographic evidence of who possessed the contraband [guns]?”
“In this case, the question is narrowed because the … affidavit contains nothing to indicate that the camera contained evidence of crimes,” she wrote in a 48-page ruling, The Advocate reported.
“The mere fact that a camera was recovered at the scene of an arrest does not generate a ‘substantial probability’ that evidence of a crime will be on that camera,” the judge said. “Additionally, without an allegation that the camera was in use when the alleged crimes occurred, the assertion that the camera contained evidence is purely speculative.”
The victory for Gaulden means that the evidence by the prosecution is weakened as they now have less evidence to prove that he possessed the firearms, which were not found on his person but on the cameraman and in his car with others.
In the meantime, the rapper has been occupying himself while on house arrest in Utah. He is presently mired in beef with several other rappers, including Lil Durk and others who he recently dissed.
While this is a big win for NBA YoungBoy and his legal team, his legal troubles are far from over as prosecutions forged ahead with cases against him in both Baton Rouge and Los Angeles. If found guilty, the rapper could be sent to prison for years at a time when his career is taking off.
Despite his mounting legal troubles, YoungBoy Never Broke Again continues to put out new music and even has a collaborative album coming out in March with DaBaby. He has also ignited beefs with Lil Durk and other associated rappers, including Lil Baby and Gucci Mane.
