On Monday, NBA YoungBoy pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree identity fraud, two counts of third-degree forgery and six counts of unlawful pharmacy conduct.

LOGAN, Utah (AP) — A Louisiana rap artist pleaded guilty Monday for his role in a large-scale prescription drug fraud ring who operated out of his million dollar home in Utah.

NBA rapper YoungBoy, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden, walked into a courtroom in Logan, Utah with his head down as he pleaded for his role in the alleged scheme. KTVX-TV reported.

The 25-year-old rapper was initially charged at Logan Magistrates’ Court with 46 related charges to the alleged crime. On Monday, he pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree identity fraud, two counts of third-degree forgery and six counts of unlawful pharmacy conduct. Gaulden entered a “no contest” plea to the remaining charges.

As part of a plea deal, Gaulden will serve no prison time in Utah. Instead, his four criminal charges were reduced to Class A misdemeanors and he was ordered to pay a $25,000 fine, the television station reported.

U.S. District Judge Spencer Walsh agreed to suspend a prison sentence because Gaulden is expected to serve a “substantial” 27 months in federal prison on related charges in a case stemming from Weber County, Utah. After his release, Gaulden will be placed on five years of federal supervised probation.

“This is somewhat of a unique case where there were multiple jurisdictions involved in both the federal and state systems,” said State’s Attorney Ronnie Keller. “This is really a smaller cog in the larger wheel of ultimately seeking justice.”

Gaulden was living in Utah under house arrest, having previously been involved in a 2019 Miami shooting. His move to Utah came as part of a 2021 settlement in which his lawyers argued that “moving to Utah would keep YoungBoy away from trouble”.

During his hearing on Monday, Walsh said it was clear Gaulden was a very talented young man.

“I’ve seen so many times when you have young men and women who have a lot of talent and potential. They can be robbed of that potential when they start really struggling with their addictions,” Walsh told Gaulden. “I don’t want that for you.”

Walsh went on to say, “I’m sure that in your future, once you finish your time in federal prison, you can be really successful in federal probation and have a really bright future where you reach your full potential in every aspect of your life. Good luck, Mr. Gaulden.”

Gaulden, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is also known as YoungBoy Never Broke Again and has scored four No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 and one Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. His music includes “38 Baby,” “Outside Today “. ” and Tyler, The Creator’s song “Wusyaname,” which he features alongside Ty Dolla $ign. This collaboration earned them a 2022 Grammy nomination for Best Melodic Rap Performance.

Billboard reported that only pop star Taylor Swift and rapper Drake had more streams in 2022, despite Gaulden having almost zero radio airplay. According to Spotify, Gaulden has over 16 million monthly listeners.