NBA YoungBoy pleads guilty in Utah prescription drug fraud ring

LOGAN, Utah (AP) — A Louisiana-based rap artist pleaded guilty Monday to his role in a large-scale prescription drug fraud ring that operated out of his multimillion-dollar home in Utah.

Rapper NBA YoungBoy, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden, walked into a courtroom in Logan, Utah, with his head hung low as he entered the plea for his part in the alleged scheme, KTVX-TV reported.

The 25-year-old rapper was originally charged in the Logan District Court with 46 charges related to the alleged crime. On Monday, he pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree felony identity fraud, two counts of third-degree felony forgery and six counts of misdemeanor unlawful pharmacy conduct. Gaulden entered a “no contest” plea to the remaining charges.

As part of a plea deal, Gaulden will not serve prison time in Utah. Instead, his four felony charges were reduced to Class A Misdemeanors and he was ordered to pay a $25,000 fine, the television station reported.

District Judge Spencer Walsh agreed to suspend a prison sentence as Gaulden is expected to serve a “substantial” 27 months in federal prison for related charges in a case stemming out of Weber County, Utah. Following his release, Gaulden will then be placed on five years of federal supervised probation.

“This is somewhat of a unique case where there have been multiple jurisdictions involved both in the federal and the state systems,” said state prosecutor Ronnie Keller. “This is just really a smaller cog in the bigger wheel of ultimately seeking justice.”

Gaulden had been living in Utah under house arrest, having previously been allegedly involved in a 2019 Miami shooting. His relocation to Utah came as part of a deal in 2021 in which his lawyers argued that “moving to Utah would keep YoungBoy out of trouble.”

During his hearing Monday, Walsh said it was clear that Gaulden was a very talented young man.

“I’ve seen so many times where you have young men and women who have a lot of talent and potential. They can be robbed of that potential when they start to really struggle with their addictions,” Walsh told Gaulden. “I don’t want that for you.”

Walsh continued saying, “I’m sure that in your future, once you’re done with your federal prison time, you can be really successful on federal probation and have a really bright future where you can reach your full potential in every aspect of your life. Best of luck to you, Mr. Gaulden.”

Gaulden, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, also is known as YoungBoy Never Broke Again and has achieved four No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 and one Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. His music includes “38 Baby,” “Outside Today” and Tyler, The Creator’s song, “Wusyaname,” on which he is featured with Ty Dolla $ign. That collaboration earned them a Grammy nomination in 2022 for Best Melodic Rap Performance.

Billboard reported only pop star Taylor Swift and rapper Drake had more streams in 2022, despite Gaulden having nearly zero radio airplay. According to Spotify, Gaulden has over 16 million monthly listeners.