This YSL RICO case feels like a reality show. It’s just one thing after another. This time an attorney who was defending the arrested got arrested.
The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office confirmed defense lawyer Anastasios Manettas was arrested Thursday morning on four charges: disruption of court proceedings, obstruction, possession (described as pills, not in original container), and simple battery on a law enforcement officer, 11 Alive News reported.
It has been an interesting couple of days in court as the RICO case remains in the jury selection phase.
The arrest of Manettas makes for another chaotic scene. The day before, three people were handcuffed and escorted out of the courtroom after multiple people were heard screaming at each other inside.
The sheriff said Thursday’s fiasco came about after the discovery of marijuana with defendant Rodalius Ryan.
The trial involving 14 alleged members of YSL has entered its fourth month of jury selection, with attorneys predicting that the process could continue through the summer.
The defendants will stand trial, including rapper Young Thug. They are accused of using his YSL record label to run a gang.
Manettas previously spoke to the outlet on the drawn-out jury selection process.
“It got started pretty quickly, as far as the pre-trial aspects,” Manettas said. “But now, this jury selection has now been the longest in Georgia history already, and I don’t know if we’re halfway done or not.”
Manettas said hundreds of people had been questioned since January on any medical, financial, or caretaker conflicts.
“At that point, the individual phase will begin where each of the 14 defense teams and the state are allowed to ask the jurors who survived the hardship phase anything we want about any of their answers in the questionnaire, which has 258 questions,” Manettas added. “None have been questioned about the questionnaire or their individual biases, exposure to the case in the media. It’s only been hardship so far. No one has been individually examined.”
Manettas added that trial-specific questioning could begin a month later to narrow the jury pool. Many law experts predict the trial could take months and will cost millions of dollars to try.
At least one defense attorney, Angela D’Williams (who represents Ryan), filed a motion to withdraw from the case, citing its duration and the pressure it places on attorneys working under public defender contracts.
