ATLANTA — A bill at the state Capitol could give county district attorneys more power in prosecuting gangs.
But, we found out, the bill has two metro Atlanta DAs on opposite sides. One says it will help fight the increasing number of violent crimes. The other says it needs some changes.
State Sen. John Albers told Channel 2 investigative reporter Mark Winne that state senators worked with judges, sheriffs, police chiefs, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, prosecutors and others to craft a bill that would add a variety of crime-fighting tools.
Albers said Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was instrumental in several cases that could have been impacted by the proposed legislation.
“The gang does not care if they crossed the street, they’re in DeKalb, or they’re in Clayton County. They’re just operating and committing crime,” Willis said.
Willis says she favors a provision in Senate Bill 359 that would allow a DA prosecuting a gang operating in her or his jurisdiction to add charges to that case involving crimes the gang committed in another DA’s territory.
“They may operate out of Cherokee County and come down here and do one act. I would think it was appropriate for the DA in Cherokee County to prosecute that case,” Willis said.
Willis said, for instance, in the gang case against megastar recording artist YFN Lucci and many others, other charges might have been added if this provision were on the books last year.
Lucci’s lead counsel Drew Findling said Lucci is innocent of all charges and not a gang associate.
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DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston said she’s opposed to the proposal as it currently stands.
“I believe that public safety is best served when there can be accountability on the local level,” Boston said.
Boston said she would support the bill if it added a provision requiring a signoff from the DA of the county where the additional crimes occurred.
“We all agree collaboration is key. We do it all the time,” Boston said.
Boston said she believes in being tough on gangs too.
Just this week, the Georgia Supreme Court upheld the 2017 conviction of Tahja Tayshawn Williams for his role in the DeKalb County murder of innocent teen Keaira Palmer, who was caught in the crossfire as Williams’ gang did a drive-by, targeting a rival gang.
“Seventy to 90% of violent crimes we know is being at the hands of gangs. That’s just the reality,” Willis said.
Willis said she still wants to see a bill giving state funding for gang prosecutors and investigators for local DA offices.
Boston says she’s in full agreement.
“I hope the takeaway from this is not DeKalb DA versus Fulton DA. I think the idea is we are all district attorneys who are committed to public safety and fighting violent crime,” Boston said.
Albers said funding the fight against gangs is a top state priority.
Findling says the RICO law already allows mentioning crimes in other jurisdictions even though there can’t be specific new charges about them.
He said he’s concerned that adding charges from other jurisdictions could unreasonably add to the cost of a fair defense for a suspect.
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