Atlanta rapper Cash Out was sentenced to life in prison after a jury found him and other family members guilty of crimes the judge called “diabolical” and “the very worst of human behaviour.”
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Melynee Leftridge issued sentences on Monday to the rapper, whose real name is Josh Michael Hakeem Gibson, as well as his mother Linda Smith and cousin Tyrone Taylor. Prosecutors alleged all three operated a sex trafficking enterprise for more than seven years and used Gibson’s music and brand “through the use of deception and then coercion, enticed and recruited women from social media platforms to engage in commercial sexual activity.”
The court ordered that the 70-year sentence run concurrently with the life term, meaning he will not serve additional time beyond the life term. Ca$h Out must also register as a sex offender, avoid contact with victims or their families and stay away from several locations in Atlanta, including the Fulton Industrial Boulevard corridor.