The YSL RICO trial involving Young Thug continues to stir up controversy and tension in the courtroom.

The trial is now in jeopardy of being declared a mistrial after a witness inadvertently read an Instagram post caption aloud that included the hashtag “Free Qua.” This detail was supposed to be redacted from the evidence shown to the jury, but it was not removed from the version the witness viewed. Journalist Meghann Cuniff reported on the incident, noting that the error has prompted Judge Paige Reese Whitaker to reconsider declaring a mistrial.

“I’m sorry you all have this massive, overwhelming universe of evidence, and maybe if you narrowed it down, these kinds of mistakes wouldn’t happen. But I believe this was a mistake,” Judge Whitaker said in a video shared by Cuniff on X (formerly Twitter). She added, “I’m going to deny the motion for a mistrial with prejudice… would you like a mistrial without evidence?”

This is just the latest in a series of dramatic and viral moments from the prolonged trial. Recently, witness Antonio Sledge, also known as Mounk Tounk, recanted parts of his plea agreement, claiming he no longer remembered key “factual acknowledgments” related to YSL and the murder of Donovan “Nut” Thomas. As a result, Sledge now faces five years in prison for violating the terms of his plea deal.

This after the witness read aloud a “Free Qua” hashtag that was redacted on the screen but apparently not on the exhibit he was looking at. Trial has had problems before with testimony indicating the defendants are in jail. pic.twitter.com/6u7lZyjYB8

— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) October 23, 2024