Atlanta rapper Yak Gotti, whose real name is Deamonte Kendrick, has been released from jail on probation after settling the remaining charges against him.
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Gotti resolved his ongoing legal troubles by pleading guilty to a single count of aggravated battery related to a jailhouse assault in June 2024, per Atlanta outlet Fox 5.
When Fulton County prosecutor Adam Abbate asked Gotti if he was guilty, he replied, “I’m ready to go home, bro.”
Abbate shot back: “Yes or no? Yes gets you home.”
The judge sentenced him to 12 years, with nine months to serve, accounting for time already served. Following his release, he will remain under supervised probation for five years.
Along with the standard prohibition against firearm possession, Gotti was also warned against using social media or his music to promote gang culture.
“Just don’t post you hate anyone,” Abbate advised Gotti.Â
Yak Gotti was Arrested Back in 2022
Yak Gotti was arrested in May 2022 in connection with the YSL RICO (racketeering) case. On June 16, 2024, he faced new charges for aggravated assault, aggravated battery, and riot in a penal system after attacking another inmate in a cell at Fulton County Jail with several other men. Although Gotti was acquitted of racketeering and murder charges in the YSL RICO case on December 3, 2024, he remained in custody due to the new charges.
Meanwhile, Gotti’s mother and legal team voiced their relief outside the courtroom.”Victory was won today, and I’m thankful that my son is coming home,” Gotti’s mother said. “I miss him deeply. He got not guilty, and he still was in jail, so I’m happy about that.”
“He’s just happy to put this behind him and to move on with the rest of his life,” Nicole Westmoreland, one of Gotti’s attorneys added.
Meanwhile, the rapper is looking forward to getting back to music. Even the judge seemed to urge him in that direction.
“I wish you good luck on your forthcoming album,” Judge Paige Reese Whitaker told Gotti in the hearing.