LOGAN — Kentrell Desean Gaulden, a.k.a. rapper NBA YoungBoy, has accepted a plea deal in his prescription drug charges, allowing the case to be closed so he can be transferred to federal custody. The global resolution came seven months after the 25-year-old Louisiana native was arrested and booked into the Cache County Jail.
Gaulden appeared Monday, Nov. 18 in Logan’s 1st District Court. He kept his head down while pleading “no contest” to two counts of forgery and two counts of identity fraud, both third-degree felonies; and six counts of unlawful pharmacy conduct, a class A misdemeanor.
The plea meant Gaulden conceded the alleged charges occurred without admitting guilt or offering a defense. It is still viewed as a guilty plea in court.
Gaulden is accused of having friends and family fill phony prescriptions at pharmacies in Cache Valley. Court documents revealed multiple pharmacies across the state were targeted.
The scheme involved individuals calling in fraudulent prescriptions under the names of real doctors and using fake patient names and birthdates. Associates of Gaulden would then pick up the prescriptions from various pharmacies.
According to investigators, callers linked to Gaulden would call in prescriptions using the name of a real doctor in Provo, in some cases – but provide fake patient information. Individuals would then pick up the order from pharmacies, mainly promethazine and codeine.
The rapper was arrested April 16 at his Weber County home, where he was on house arrest while awaiting trial on federal weapons charges.
During Monday’s court appearance, defense attorney Jon Williams explained how under the conditions of the plea deal, Gaulden will pay a $25,000 fine, and then the case would be closed. The rapper will then be transferred to federal custody to begin serving 27 months in prison, followed by 60 months of probation.
Cache County deputy attorney Ronnie Keller said he agreed with the global resolution. He explained how the local charges were a small part of the larger federal case.
Williams said there was a lot riding on his client’s compliance with federal probation agents.
Judge Spencer Walsh said he was willing to go along with the global resolution since Gaulden would be serving a substantial prison and probation sentence. He explained how he had seen many talented men and women robbed of their talents when they struggle with an addiction.