What is an Alford Plea? Gunna's former lawyer slams critics, claims rapper said nothing to compromise Young Thug's case

On Friday, January 3, Steve Sadow - an Atlanta-based defense attorney who represented Gunna when he served a prison sentence in 2022, slammed the critics who accused the rapper of involvement in Young Thug's case.

"I was Gunna’s attorney, but I am NOT speaking on his behalf. This long post is solely to set out the truth. Gunna did NOT cooperate, and did NOTHING and said NOTHING to cause harm to Thug’s case. He spent 8 months in jail and was released in Dec. 2022 after entering an Alford plea."

According to Cornell Law School, an Alford plea is a plea that registers the formal admission of guilt towards criminal charges, in which the defendant also expresses innocence towards the same charges. The plea is used to skip the criminal trial process as the defendant agrees to accept all the ramifications of a guilty verdict. It is similar to the nolo contendere plea, except for one difference.

Unlike Gunna, Young Thug entered a nolo contendere plea earlier in 2024, which led to his release in October 2024. In addition to the 30 months the YSL founder spent in jail, he was also sentenced to a 15-year-long probation.

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Gunna's lawyer shared that the rapper was not a witness in Young Thug's case

Further revealing the details surrounding Gunna's release, Steve Sadow wrote in his tweet:

"Gunna's plea could not and was not used at Thug's trial and he was never even named as a witness. He received a 5-yr suspended sentence, with no reporting, no travel restrictions, no living restrictions, AND NO PROBATION."

Sadow added how media reports revealed that the Spending Addiction rapper had performed all over the world in the last two years, generating substantial revenue and "international fame." The attorney then went on to disclose the legalities surrounding Young Thug's release from prison, saying:

"Conversely, Thug went to trial and eventually pled guilty and nolo after spending 30-months in jail, received 15 years probation, with reporting conditions and is not even allowed to live in Atlanta."

Steve ended his tweet with:

"THOSE THAT HAVE AND CONTINUE TO BAD MOUTH GUNNA, GET OVER IT. NUFF' SAID."

The attorney followed his first tweet up with a second one, slamming the critics by calling their false accusations "dry-snitched comments" and drawing parallels between the trials of Gunna and Young Thug's trials. Both rappers were charged with RICO, faced up to 20 years in prison, and were ultimately released after taking a plea.

Per the Cornell Law School, the main difference between the Pedestrian rapper and Young Thug's plea is that Alford plea requires the defendant to formally plead guilty, while in nolo contendere plea, neither guilt nor innocence is asserted. This distinction is essential because the formal admittance of guilt in an Alford plea can be later used against the defendant in future suits.

Steve Sadow's tweet comes a day after Young Thug teased a snippet of his upcoming, untitled song in his Instagram story. In the clip, the Bubbly rapper rapped:

"Never associate with a rat/ Go and get some money, get a pack."

The rap has led to fan speculations about Thug's verse being a diss at the MOTW rapper.

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While Young Thug has made no formal announcement about the song's release date, the rapper has a verse in a Lil Baby song that dropped as part of his fourth studio album, WHAM, on Friday, January 3. The song is titled Dumb, Dumb, and Dumber, produced by Wheezy and Juke Wong.

In the track, the Lifestyle rapper addresses his recent incarceration in his verse, rapping: "I don’t even believe I was locked up, for real."

Other artists who have featured on Lil Baby's latest album include Rod Wave, GloRilla, Future, Travis Scott, and 21 Savage.