Rapper NBA YoungBoy, legally known as Kentrell Gaulden, has agreed to move his federal gun case to Utah. The Baton Rouge artist faces a charge of firearm possession despite prior convictions. His decision to have the case moved indicates a likely plead of guilty to the said charge. Gaulden has been no stranger to legal confinement, as he's been held at the Weber County Jail about a different prescription drug case, as per Fox13.
Under the rules that orchestrate the workings of federal courts, and as reported by The Advocate, a defendant can agree in writing to waive trial in one jurisdiction and to plead guilty in another, providing U.S. Attorneys in both districts agree on the transfer. This legal maneuver was greenlit when Ronald Gathe Jr., the U.S. Attorney in Louisiana's Middle District, signed off on the transfer, and federal prosecutors in Utah subsequently filed the felony weapons charge against Gaulden.
Gaulden's Atlanta-based attorney, Drew Findling, has not yet provided comments on the case's jurisdictional developments. Previously, Gaulden was held without bond since May 10 and is currently still in custody at the Weber County Jail, just north of Salt Lake City.
It's not only the firearms charge Gaulden faces, according to KUTV, the rapper was involved in allegations linked to a prescription fraud ring with cases both in Cache County and Weber County. In total, 63 charges were initially brought against him from Cache County, including a firearm possession by restricted person felony, alongside two counts of fraudulently obtaining a prescription. He has also declined to appear via video call for a traffic infraction case, resulting in an outstanding cash bail of $175, with a courtroom appearance scheduled for the upcoming Thursday, August 22.
In addition to the firearm and prescription charges he's currently responding to, Gaulden has another hearing on August 29 in Weber County, followed by a continued arraignment in Cache County on September 23. As part of his federal gun case transfer, Gaulden agreed to continue with the guilty plea once the case is transferred to Utah, otherwise, it will revert to the Middle District of Louisiana.
