Overview

• On July 21, Judge Melynee Leftridge imposed concurrent life plus 70-year terms on John-Michael Gibson, aka Cash Out, for rape, aggravated sodomy, sex trafficking and RICO violations
• Gibson’s mother, Linda Smith, received a 30-year prison term and his cousin, Tyrone Taylor, was also sentenced to life plus 70 years for their roles in the enterprise
• A Fulton County jury convicted all three on July 18 after prosecutors presented text messages from eight cellphones, phone records and financial documents linking them to the scheme
• The judge condemned the defendants’ actions as “the very worst of human behavior” and prosecutors described the operation as a seven-year reign of terror exploiting vulnerable women
• Gibson’s legal team has signaled plans to appeal, arguing that witnesses were pressured into testifying and maintaining his innocence