Another high-profile trial involving Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis’ office, another sexual distraction. This time, it involves an investigator.
Willis narrowly survived being booted from prosecuting former President Donald Trump in an ongoing Georgia election interference case because of a romantic relationship with her special prosecutor/boyfriend. The judge in that case chastised her for “a tremendous lapse in judgment” and ordered that Nathan Wade be removed.
Now, her office appears to be entangled in another episode of extremely bad judgment: An investigator for Willis’ office on the YSL RICO trial is on the hot seat because he allegedly hit on a witness.
A 37-year-old witness identified only as “A. Bennett” alerted defendant Young Thug’s lawyers that investigator Rasheed Hamilton sent her texts full of unwelcome sexual advances in February.
Investigator’s unwelcome texts
In one, Hamilton texted to Bennett: “Hit me up if you’re bored later. We’re not gonna talk shop.” When attorney Keith Adams pressed her about what the investigator wanted to discuss, Bennett said that Hamilton wanted to go on “a date” with her. Asked further if they had indeed “talked shop,” Bennett answered that they did.
Hamilton addressed Bennett as “Mama” on more than one occasion during the text exchanges. Bennett said that Hamilton had sexually harassed her and that he even wanted to “take her out when the investigation was over.”
Bennett testified that she felt so uncomfortable being alone with Hamilton that she ultimately asked her 20-year-old son to tag along with them to a Japanese restaurant.
Young Thug YSL RICO trial: Investigator exposed for sexually harassing witness over text pic.twitter.com/caqXKbRrDC
— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) April 9, 2024
Prosecutors said that Hamilton’s text messages to Bennett were simply “niceties” that they extended to all witnesses during the trial. No other witness, however, has come forward to talk about inappropriate contact, whether sexual or not.
Prosecutors cost her her job, she says
The niceties didn’t turn out to be so nice, Bennett testified. The prosecution ordered that Bennett be taken into custody on March 26 after she tried to refuse to appear. Adams asked her what kept Bennett from wanting to appear in court.
“Did the fact that this employee of the district attorney’s office was trying to date you come into your mind as you were thinking about whether you would be coming in and testifying or not?” he asked.
“Yes,” Bennett responded.
She was released from jail but testified that she blocked the investigator after receiving multiple calls “that weren’t about court.” She said she had lost her job because of how many times the prosecution asked to meet with her.
“They picked me up. Surrounded my house. Moved my camera. They had my 11-year-old outside for like an hour and a half outside by himself,” she said.
Bennett had been brought in to testify about a 2013 robbery that Young Thug — real name Jeffery Lamar Williams — had allegedly been involved in, as the prosecution continues trying to prove that YSL is a street gang affiliated with the national Bloods gang and not merely a record label, as the defense has contended. Bennett said Willis’ office had harassed her in non-sexual ways also, including Chief Deputy District Attorney Adriane Love. Bennett said prosecutors continuously harassed her even after she informed them that she had nothing more to testify to concerning the alleged robbery.
Williams, 32, who appeared to be amused as Bennett testified, is one of the defendants in what has become the longest criminal trial in Georgia history. He’s been in jail since May 2022. It has been bizarre episodes like these that keep stretching out the timeline. The trial has been delayed or extended because of a YSL member being stabbed in jail, a juror who missed a court date (and was subsequently forced to write an essay about it as punishment), an attorney being held in contempt for not buying lunch, and another witness reporting that he was high on the witness stand.
Also, as in the Georgia election interference case, defense attorneys in the YSL trial sought to get the lead investigator booted from prosecuting the case. But it was to no avail, as Judge Ural Glanville sided with the prosecution.
