Young thug's lawyer arrested: Brian Steel found in contempt by Judge Ural Glanville in YSL RICO trial after secret meeting allegations

ATLANTA– More drama unfolded Monday in the YSL RICO trial against rapper Young Thug and his co-defendants, as police arrested one of the rapper's attorneys and charged him with contempt of court.

WSB's Michael Seiden was in the courtroom when Brian Steel was arrested after refusing to respond to requests for a response about how he heard about a “secret” meeting between prosecutors, the judge and a witness key to the YSL trial, Kenneth Copeland, Monday morning.

Judge Ural Glanville gave Steel until 5 p.m. to disclose the source of the information about the meeting, arguing that Steel was not supposed to have any communication with a sworn prosecution witness.

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Although he was charged with contempt, Steel refused to reveal his source, citing professional secrecy.

The video shows Steel removing his jacket before being taken into custody.

Copeland spent the weekend in jail after refusing to testify Friday. He reluctantly took the stand Monday, but evaded many of the questions.

After a lunch break, Steel said prosecutors told Copeland he could stay in jail for the duration of the trial and possibly until the cases of all 26 defendants are resolved.

“If true, this is witness coercion and intimidation,” Steel said.

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Young Thug's second attorney, Keith Adams, also requested a mistrial.

“Okay, and the challenge that I have in this particular circumstance – it's such a violation of the sacrosanct character of the court chambers and of an ex parte conversation. You're glossing over that in its entirety,” he said. Adams said.

Max Schardt, attorney for co-defendant Shannon Stillwell, also said the judge held a meeting with prosecutors and Copeland without his client present. Schardt said the trial had to be halted until they could obtain a transcript of the meeting. He also requested a mistrial.

Glanville denied the requests. Since then, he has returned to the bench.

This latest incident adds to the drama experienced in the courtroom during the trial. In February, police arrested one of the defendants' lawyers on gang charges. Another attorney was handcuffed for bringing prescription drugs into the courtroom, while another had his laptop seized in the middle of court. Nearly all of the public defenders threatened to quit the case, citing insufficient pay.