Atlanta rapper Ca$h Out will spend the rest of his life behind bars after being sentenced Monday for his conviction on charges including rape and sex trafficking.
11Alive reports that the rapper, born John-Michael Hakim Gibson, was found guilty last week of leading a sex trafficking enterprise after a month-long trial in a RICO case. His mother, Linda Smith, and cousin, Tyrone Taylor, were also convicted for their roles in what prosecutors described as a trafficking and prostitution enterprise.
Gibson’s full sentence includes a life sentence and then 70 years in jail. He was given jail sentences on several other charges that were made concurrent, not adding any additional years. Also, Gibson is prohibited from having contact with any victims or their families, and he must be registered as a sex offender.
Victims read statements in court on Monday (July 21), describing PTSD, depression and other conditions from being trafficked.
“For the rest of my life, I will fear that he will kill me, all because I wouldn’t do what he wanted me to do,” one victim said.
Gibson maintained his innocence, rejecting the notion that he was guilty of trafficking, coercion, or rape.
“We took copious notes, you may have seen us scribbling,” a juror said to Atlanta’s WSB-TV. Jurors reviewed a 46-count RICO indictment over seven weeks of testimony. The case included jail calls, surveillance footage and cellphone records.
“The state’s evidence was so compelling, and they had so much of it,” the juror added. “There was no swaying, we were very careful. We went count by count.”
Linda Smith received 30 years in prison, and Taylor was given 70 years.
D.A. Fani Willis issued a statement saying the verdict delivers justice to the survivors.
“I am grateful to the jury for recognizing the full scope of these crimes through the lens of RICO and seeing them for what they truly are: organized and calculated acts of cruelty,” the statement said. “This conviction sends a clear message that the buying and selling of human beings, the coercion into sex work, will be met with the full force of the law.”
“Our prosecutors remain steadfast in their mission to hold traffickers accountable, no matter how powerful or well-connected they may be. In Fulton County, there is no safe haven for those who prey on the vulnerable.”
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