The YSL case continues to grow more complex, as the defense attorney for the Atlanta collective will have his personal property brought into question.
On Friday, Chief Judge Ural Glanville ruled that enough probable cause exists to search the laptop of defense attorney Eric Johnson. The laptop was seized and is believed to have been utilized by Young Slime Life defendant, Christian Eppinger, to communicate with other YSL members who are not currently in custody, as well as with former courthouse deputy Akeiba Stanley.
Eppinger was allegedly romantically involved with Stanley, who is accused of attempting to smuggle contraband to Eppinger. Stanley was fired, arrested, and charged with conspiracy to commit a felony, hindering apprehension or punishment of a criminal, violation of the oath of office, and reckless conduct on June 2, 2023.
BREAKING: Fulton County deputy arrested and charged after investigators say she tried to smuggle contraband for #YSL defendant Christian Eppinger. @wsbtv pic.twitter.com/YckphihIf4
— Michael Seiden (@SeidenWSBTV) June 2, 2023
Johnson filed to suppress the laptop and have it returned.
Suspicion initially arose when deputies apparently witnessed Eppinger accessing Instagram with the laptop. While defendants are permitted to use their attorney’s laptops to access evidence related to their case, they are strictly prohibited from using them for personal use.
Glanville has also appointed a special master to oversee the search to ensure that attorney-client privilege is protected.
“The laptop will go from where it’s been safely stored to the forensic expert and then the expert will image it so that work can be done to sort through the privileged material to get to the stuff that’s in the warrant,” said special master Allegra Lawrence Hardy to WSB Atlanta.
Jury selection began in January for the wide-sweeping RICO case that originally named 28 members of YSL. Young Thug and Eppinger are among the remaining nine defendants.
