Rapper Cash Out, whose real name is John-Michael Hakeem Gibson, has been sentenced to life in prison plus 70 years after being found guilty in his RICO and sex trafficking case.
The 34-year-old artist was given the guilty verdict in an Atlanta court on Friday. According to WSB-TV Atlanta, the life sentence plus 70 years will run concurrently. His mother, Linda Smith, was sentenced to 30 years, and his cousin, Tyrone Taylor, was sentenced to life in prison plus 70 years.
Gibson is known for his 2014 platinum hits "Cashin' Out" and "She Twerkin." He released one studio album in 2014, "Let's Get It," and six mixtapes. However, his career was stalled when he was arrested in a Georgia prostitution sting in June 2019.
The trial, which began in June, alleged that Gibson, his cousin, and his mother had forced women into sex work. Prosecutors presented text messages from eight different phones as evidence, showing that the family members had coordinated the sale of women and the corresponding payments.
Fulton County prosecutor Earnelle Winfrey stated in court that the operation was not just pimping, but trafficking, due to the force and coercion involved. Gibson's legal team claimed that victims were pushed to testify, but prosecutors argued that the women involved were not forced.
Winfrey emphasized that it's not about the victims' actions in a sex trafficking case, but about what the defendants did. Gibson's mother claimed she was unaware of the trafficking, but prosecutors cited payment receipts linking her to the offenses.
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