Young Thug Lawyer Arrested: Brian Steel Charged With Contempt Of Court During YSL RICO Trial By Judge Ural Glanville After Alleging Secret Meeting

ATLANTA– The YSL RICO trial against rapper Young Thug and his co-defendants saw further drama on Monday when police arrested one of the rapper’s lawyers and charged him with contempt of court.

WSB’s Michael Seiden was in the courtroom when Brian Steel was taken into custody after refusing to say how he learned of a “secret” meeting Monday morning between prosecutors, the judge and a key witness in the YSL trial, Kenneth Copeland.

Judge Ural Glanville gave Steel until 5 p.m. to reveal the source of information about the meeting, arguing that Steel should not be allowed to communicate with a prosecution witness.

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Despite facing charges of contempt of court, Steel refused to reveal his source, citing attorney-client privilege.

The video shows Steel taking off his jacket before being taken into custody.

Copeland spent the weekend in jail after refusing to testify on Friday. He reluctantly took the witness stand on Monday but avoided most questioning.

After a lunch break, Steel said, prosecutors told Copeland he could remain in jail for the duration of the trial and possibly until the cases of all 26 defendants were settled.

“If this is true, then this is coercion and witness intimidation,” Steel said.

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Young Thug’s second lawyer, Keith Adams, also requested a mistrial.

“Okay, and the challenge I have in this particular case – this is such a violation of the sanctity of the courtroom and of a one-sided conversation. They completely overstep that,” Adams said.

Max Schardt, attorney for co-defendant Shannon Stillwell, also said the judge held a meeting with prosecutors and Copeland without his client being present. Schardt said the trial should be adjourned until a transcript of the meeting is available. He also called for the case to be dismissed.

Glanville rejected the motions. He is now a judge again.

This latest incident adds to the courtroom drama that has been witnessed during the trial. In February, police arrested one of the defendants’ lawyers on gang charges. Another lawyer was handcuffed for bringing prescription drugs into the courtroom, while another had his laptop confiscated in the middle of the trial. Almost all of the public defenders threatened to abandon the case because they were not paying enough.