ATLANTA — Fulton County prosecutors are revealing how they secured a guilty verdict in the high-profile RICO case against Atlanta rapper Ca$h Out, whose real name is John-Michael Hakim Gibson.
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In an exclusive interview with Channel 2’s investigative reporter Ashli Lincoln, prosecutors said it was the rapper’s failing music career that ultimately led him to profit from forcing women into prostitution.
They say their investigation uncovered that Gibson’s income from sex trafficking far exceeded any earnings from his music.
“When the money went down online, he went to the streets,” said Deputy District Attorney Earnelle Winfrey.
Gibson was sentenced Monday to life plus 70 years in prison, along with his cousin Tyrone Taylor.
His mother, Linda Smith, was also sentenced to 30 years on charges related to RICO and sex trafficking.
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Winfrey said the conviction was the result of a joint effort across multiple jurisdictions and divisions with the District Attorney’s Office.
“They got what they needed to get—and that was life,” she said.
Despite Gibson claiming innocence, Winfrey said he showed “no remorse” and took “no accountability.”
Authorities said Gibson’s criminal activity spanned several Georgia counties, including Gwinnett, Lowndes, DeKalb, and Fulton—prompting them to apply the state’s RICO statute.
“The victims testified that they performed certain acts because they didn’t want to get beaten, run over, or hit in the head with a gun,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Adriane Love.
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Prosecutor Grant Rood combed through thousands of text messages and bank statements to trace financial transactions from acts of prostitution in Fulton County up the criminal chain to Gibson and Smith.
District Attorney Fani Willis emphasized her office’s commitment to fighting crimes of this nature: “If they commit this crime in Fulton County, I’m always going to put my best and my brightest on the case, and we’re going to make sure they’re out of our community for the rest of their days.”
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