In the ongoing YSL RICO trial involving Young Thug, prosecutors have filed a motion to prohibit the filming and photography of individuals testifying on the stand.
This request comes in response to a series of online threats and incidents of doxing directed at witnesses, including law enforcement officers.
The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office submitted the motion on Friday, highlighting instances where various witnesses fell victim to “online doxing” and “threatening communications.”
The motion cites a recent incident where live footage of a forensic analyst’s testimony was accompanied by menacing commentary in the live chat, indicating potential harm to the witness.
Prosecutors emphasized that witnesses have faced alarming situations, such as receiving ominous text messages from unknown numbers. In one case, law enforcement was dispatched to a witness’s home for security measures following their court appearance.
District Attorney Fani Willis and lead prosecutor Adriane Love expressed their concern in the motion, noting that similar incidents occurred previously in the case.
In December 2022, an assistant district attorney testifying at a video-recorded pretrial motions hearing experienced online doxing, resulting in the leakage of their personal cell phone number and threatening communications that raised genuine fears for their safety and that of their family.
In response to the motion, defense attorney Doug Weinstein criticized it as “a thinly veiled attempt to impugn the defendants” and accused the prosecutors of attempting to conceal the trial proceedings from the public.
Weinstein argued that the public should have the right to observe the case and assess the testimony independently, framing the motion as an attack on the First Amendment.
As the trial unfolds, the legal battle continues not only in the courtroom but also in the realm of public perception and the protection of constitutional rights.
