Louisiana rapper NBA YoungBoy won his gun possession legal battle on Friday when a Los Angeles federal jury found him not guilty.
According to Billboard, the verdict follows a three-day trial in which YoungBoy, born Kentrell Williams, was charged with a single count of illegal firearms possession over a loaded handgun found in his car last year. The victory means the 22-year-old artist will not serve the time in prison, upward of 55 months, he could have if convicted.
In March 2021, YoungBoy was pulled over in his Mercedes Maybach in Tarzana, California. While officers executed a search warrant, he allegedly fled on foot. When authorities searched the car, they found a loaded semiautomatic handgun on the floor behind the front passenger seat, according to Billboard. The possession of the handgun was illegal since the rapper had been previously convicted of aggravated assault with a firearm in 2017 — a case that is still ongoing.
“We are grateful that this jury was so thoughtful and saw the truth,” YoungBoy’s attorney, James P. Manasseh, said of the outcome. “We said from the beginning Kentrell was innocent and we just needed our opportunity to get in front of a fair jury.”
Earlier this week, YoungBoy was seen with boxing champion Floyd Mayweather, who is said to have supported the rapper during trial.
Video surfaced Friday of a group of fans celebrating outside the courtroom after they learned of the not guilty verdict.
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