Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was dealt two losses on Tuesday after a Georgia judge found her in default in the freedom of information case case brought against her by Judicial Watch and her Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organizations (RICO) case against Young Slime Life (YSL) ended with acquittals for the final two defendants.
Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton first announced the organization’s victory in a post to the social media platform X, confirming a favorable judgment in their effort to obtain any evidence of communications or collusion between Willis’ office and Special Counsel Jack Smith, who brought a federal case against President-elect Donald Trump that legal pundits said bore striking similarities to her own case against Trump.
As a result of being found in default, the order signed by Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney requires Willis to “search for all records” related to Judicial Watch’s request and immediately “cease withholding non-exempt public records,” and also required the district attorney to pay legal fees accrued by Judicial Watch.
Around the time Willis was determined by McBurney to be in default in the Judicial Watch case, a verdict was announced in her RICO case against YSL associates.
Though Willis’ prosecution began with 28 defendants, only two remained on Tuesday when the jury allowed Deamonte Kendrick and Shannon Stillwell, who perform as Yak Gotti and SB, were both acquitted of the majority of charges against them, and Kendrick was allowed to leave the courtroom as a free man.
Kendrick (pictured here), whose attorney revealed Monday was stabbed at the troubled Fulton County Jail over the weekend, was acquitted of all the charges against him.
Stillwell was convicted of a single count of possessing a firearm as a felon, with jurors acquitting him of all other charges related to the RICO case. The two years he spent in the Fulton County Jail were applied to his 10-year sentence, indicating he could only serve eight years in prison or less.
The original target of the RICO case was Jeffrey Lamar Williams, who performs using the name Young Thug, who agreed to a no-contest plea deal that did not require him to admit guilt, and demands the rapper avoid Atlanta for a decade.
Trump was asked about the rapper by internet streamer Adin Ross, who interviewed the president-elect earlier this year. Trump said Williams was “treated very unfairly” by Willis.
Willis could also face a third legal defeat in the near future, as Superior Court Judge Shukura Ingram on Wednesday heard arguments to determine whether the district attorney can be forced to comply with a Georgia State Senate subcommittee that began investigating her office in the wake of Trump’s arrest.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis” by Fani Willis.
