FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — A Fulton County jury has reached a verdict in the high-profile RICO trial involving Atlanta rapper Cash Out, whose real name is John Gibson, along with his mother and cousin.
The three are facing a series of serious charges tied to an alleged sex trafficking enterprise that prosecutors say spanned several years.
Gibson, his mother Linda Smith and his cousin Tyrone Taylor were all found guilty of RICO charges. Gibson was also found guilty of rape.
All three of them were found guilty on trafficking charges. Gibson was found guilty on two counts of trafficking and not guilty on two more. Smith was found guilty on one count and not guilty on one count. Taylor was found guilty of one count of trafficking.
All three will be sentenced on July 21 at 10 a.m.
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Channel 2’s Ashli Lincoln has been following the trial since it began nearly two months ago. Over the course of the seven-week trial, jurors heard extensive testimony from alleged victims, law enforcement, and prosecutors who laid out what they called a “seven-year reign of terror.”
“This has been going on for seven years,” said Fulton County prosecutor Earnell Winfrey. “This ain’t just straight pimping—this is trafficking.”
Winfrey told jurors that Gibson, along with his mother Linda Smith and cousin Tryone Taylor, ran what she described as a “house of horrors,” where women were allegedly coerced, deceived, and forced into sex work. She argued that the case goes beyond traditional pimping, emphasizing elements of force and coercion.
“Sure, they were pimping, for sure,” Winfrey said. “But force and cohesion is what makes it trafficking.”
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Prosecutors presented evidence showing text messages between Gibson and his co-defendants coordinating the sale of women and how to collect payment. Eight cell phones were submitted into evidence, revealing what the prosecution described as the inner workings of the alleged operation.
During closing arguments, Gibson’s defense attorney countered that there was no evidence tying Gibson’s music career or record label to a trafficking enterprise. They argued the women involved were not forced.
Gibson’s mother’s defense team also claimed she was unaware of the trafficking activities. However, prosecutors pointed to payment receipts and property records linking Smith to the alleged operation, including a leased residence where some of the alleged victims were housed. Witnesses also testified that Smith was engaging in prostitution herself.
“It’s not about the victims’ actions in a sex trafficking case,” Winfrey told jurors. “It’s about what they did.”
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