NBA YoungBoy, the renowned rapper whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden, has agreed to plead guilty to a federal weapons charge after his case is transferred from Louisiana to Utah, where he already faces separate allegations of orchestrating a prescription drug fraud ring. In recent court filings, Gaulden waived his right to a trial in Baton Rouge, leading U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick to close the Louisiana case and transfer jurisdiction to the federal court in Salt Lake City. Gaulden has signed documents indicating his intention to enter a guilty plea once the case transitions to Utah.
Prosecutors have accused Gaulden, a convicted felon, of possessing a handgun while filming a music video in Baton Rouge in 2020. He was among 15 individuals arrested after authorities seized more than a dozen firearms from the video shoot’s location. If convicted on the weapons charge, Gaulden, 24, could face up to 10 years in prison, according to federal prosecutors.
This procedural maneuver allows federal authorities to pursue charges against Gaulden in Utah, where he was indicted earlier this year with over 60 felony counts related to a supposed large-scale prescription fraud operation. Gaulden has been residing in Utah under house arrest while awaiting his trial in Louisiana. However, since May 10, he has been detained without bond at the Weber County Jail, north of Salt Lake City, pending the trial in the drug case.
Despite his legal troubles, NBA YoungBoy, also known as YoungBoy Never Broke Again, has enjoyed significant success in the music industry. He has released four albums that reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and has secured a Top-10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Notable tracks from his oeuvre include “38 Baby,” “Outside Today,” and his collaboration on Tyler, The Creator’s song “Wusyaname” featuring Ty Dolla $ign. This collaboration earned them a Grammy nomination in 2022 for Best Melodic Rap Performance.
