YFN Lucci issued an apology to the surviving family members of murder victim James Adams in the Atlanta courtroom where the YSL-RICO trial is being held.
Lucci, whose real name is Rayshawn Bennett, pleaded guilty to one count of violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act and will avoid a murder charge. According to WSB-TV news, Lucci was sentenced to 10 years in prison as part of the plea deal. However, since Lucci has been in jail since January 2021 awaiting trial, he has been credited with time served. He will soon be eligible for parole. He is reportedly expected to serve 3.5 months in jail and be released to serve out the remainder of his time on parole.
MORE DETAILS: As part of his negotiated plea, YFN Lucci was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but after serving a 1/3 of his sentence, he is eligible for parole. After getting credit for time served, he will be eligible for parole in 3.5 months.
— Michael Seiden (@SeidenWSBTV) January 23, 2024
While appearing before the judge, the rapper showed remorse for what happened to Adams, whom he called his “friend,” and his family and friends who supported him through this turbulent ordeal.
“First off, I wanna say my heart goes out to my friend, James Adams, and his family,” Lucci said in the video posted by HipHopDx. “Also, I wanna apologize to my family and my friends for putting them through this stressful process. I would also like to apologize to the court. And that’s it.”
YFN Lucci apologizes to murder victim's family in court footage pic.twitter.com/WpPm9PqFQG
— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) January 24, 2024
The “Every Day We Lit” rapper was facing multiple felony charges, including racketeering, violating Georgia’s anti-gang law, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, in addition to murder. The latter charge could have had him serving life in prison if he had been found guilty.
In a statement to ABC News, Lucci’s legal team said: “After three years of pretrial litigation, more than two weeks of jury selection, and three years of incarceration waiting for his jury trial, today, the prosecution finally relented and dismissed the murder and RICO charges against Rayshawn Bennett.”
