Less than 24 hours after the 7th co-defendant in the Young Thug RICO case accepted plea deals, 2 other members rejected deals and are taking it to trial.
Tenquarius Mender aka ‘Nard’ and Derontae Bebee aka ‘Be,’ both rejected plea deals in court today (December 29). Both denied plea deals which could have had Mender and Derontae set home free. By accepting a plea deal, Mender was looking at:
- 15 years probation
- 1 Year community service
- Probation terminated upon successful completion with no violation in the state of Georgia for the first 10 years
The judge explained the uncertainty of trial and having to beat all four counts to avoid jail time. If found guilty as explained by the Judge, there will be no choice but to give Mender the maximum sentence allowed under the recidivist statute. Mender is facing 50 years and Derontae faces a life sentence if they are found guilty after rejecting a plea deal and taking it to trial.
According to peachstatelawyer.com, in Georgia, repeat offenders are punished more severely, regardless of the nature of the crime charged. The Recidivist statute is set out in O.C.G.A. § 17-10-7(a). It states that if a criminal defendant has one prior felony conviction, and he/she is subsequently convicted of a second felony, the judge must sentence the offender to the maximum term of imprisonment as set out in the statute.
Yesterday, Antonio Sledge became the seventh person to take a plea deal in the YSL RICO indictment against rapper Young Thug. Sledge joins others such as Antonio “Obama” Sumlin, Gunna, Walter Murphy, Slimelife Shawty, Lil Duke and Young Thug’s brother Unfoonk, all who accepted plea deals.
As seen in the video, the Judge has allowed Derontae, Mender and another co-defendant were giving more time as court is in recess. Keep it locked with Hip Hop XXIV for the latest update.
