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

Rapper NBA YoungBoy, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden, walked into a courtroom in Logan, Utah, with his head hung low as he entered the plea for his part in the alleged scheme, KTVX-TV reported.

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

As part of a plea deal, Gaulden will not serve prison time in Utah. Instead, his four felony charges were reduced to Class A Misdemeanors and he was ordered to pay a $25,000 fine, the television station reported.

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

“This is somewhat of a unique case where there have been multiple jurisdictions involved both in the federal and the state systems,” said state prosecutor Ronnie Keller. “This is just really a smaller cog in the bigger wheel of ultimately seeking justice.”

Gaulden had been living in Utah under house arrest, having previously been allegedly involved in a 2019 Miami shooting. His relocation to Utah came as part of a deal in 2021 in which his lawyers argued that “moving to Utah would keep YoungBoy out of trouble.”

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

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

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

Gaulden, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, also is known as YoungBoy Never Broke Again and has achieved 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,” on which he is featured with Ty Dolla $ign. That collaboration earned them a Grammy nomination in 2022 for Best Melodic Rap Performance.

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

Utah responded well to a disappointing loss at Northwestern last week, easily dispatching McNeese 118-50 at the Huntsman Center on Monday night.

The Utes (3-1) looked sharp on offense most of the night, hitting 13 3-pointers while shooting 60.3% from the field in overpowering the visiting Cowgirls.

“That was a good kind of get-right game in terms of our shooting and scoring,” Utah coach Lynne Roberts said. “You know, everybody contributed, everybody did their job, which was the goal, but we just played with a lot more swagger.”

3 takeaways

An early run helped kickstart the offense. Utah led 7-6 four minutes into the game — with six of those points coming off a pair of 3-pointers from Gianna Kneepkens — but the Utes created some separation by ending the first quarter on a 17-3 run, with contributions from numerous players.

Utah went on several extended runs throughout the game against an overmatched Cowgirls team. In the second quarter after the teams traded 3-pointers to start, Utah rattled off a 16-2 run to push the lead to 29 just four minutes into the frame.

In the second half, after McNeese initially outscored the Utes over the first few minutes, Utah went on a 20-4 run over four minutes, and through three quarters, Utah nearly had 100 points (the Utes went into the fourth quarter leading 99-48).

Utah then capped the contest by outscoring McNeese 19-2 in the final period.

The Utes ended the night shooting 60.3% from the field, with a quarter-best 75% in the second quarter when they scored 38 points to go into the half with a 62-27 lead.

That efficiency extended over to 3-point range, where Utah made 13 of 22, and the free-throw line, as the Utes went 23 of 29 from the charity stripe. Utah had assists on 27 of its 41 made field goals.

McNeese, meanwhile, shot just 25.8% for the game.

Kneepkens ended up with a team-high 24 points, breaking the 20-point barrier for the first time this season, showing the kind of competitiveness she’s been known for in her accomplished career at Utah.

The junior guard also had two assists and two steals.

“The goal was 25 assists. We had 27 on 41 made baskets. That’s awesome. Everybody did a good job,” Roberts said. “No game is perfect. As a coach, that’s kind of my job to nitpick, but I’m not going to do it tonight.

“I thought we played as hard as we could … and we shot much, much, much better than we did the other night in a game we will not mention, but proud of our team.”

It was a good night in the post. The Utes dominated inside against McNeese, finishing with a 54-12 edge in points in the paint.

Utah also outrebounded the Cowgirls 47-30. While both teams had eight offensive rebounds, the Utes owned a 15-7 edge in second-chance points.

Maye Toure, the transfer from Rhode Island, was nearly unstoppable, as she made 9 of 13 shots for 21 points — her second 20-point game of the season — while adding eight rebounds and two blocked shots.

Reese Ross also continued her strong start to the year, as she looks increasingly comfortable in her sophomore season. By night’s end, she had 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and a blocked shot.

“I think the most important thing we tried to focus on this week was to just play simple and do our jobs and not doubt, just play with confidence, because we work hard and just play like it,” Toure said.

Maty Wilke bounced back well from a tough outing. In Utah’s two-point loss at Northwestern, junior guard Maty Wilke was 0 of 7 from 3-point range and had a tough night offensively, as she finished with 6 points. She had a shot to give Utah a lead in the final minute, but her final 3-point attempt was off the mark.

Wilke, like many of her teammates Monday, came out with a dogged determination against McNeese. She quickly made a pair of 3-pointers near the end of the first quarter, then found teammates for assists to help spark an early second-quarter run.

“I thought Maty came in really fearless,” Roberts said.

All totaled, Wilke had a career high 19 points, plus six assists and two steals in 19 minutes in her best game of the young season.

She made four 3-pointers.

Wilke said following last week’s loss, the focus for the Utes has been “to do our jobs” — and for her, that means bringing energy and shooting touch off the bench.

“I’ve worked a lot in a couple days we had … of just getting my mindset right to bring energy and then hitting open shots,” she said. “So basically, (the focus was) just doing our job and then trusting my teammates that they’re going to do theirs as well.”

What’s next

Utah will stay at home for a couple more games before heading to Grand Cayman Islands for a Thanksgiving week tournament.

The Utes host Saint Joseph’s on Friday at 7 p.m. in the back end of a doubleheader with the Utah men’s basketball team. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, with the radio broadcast on 700 AM.

Kyle Whittingham is adapting to the realities of college athletics in the Name, Image, and Likeness era, where financial resources and the transfer portal play increasingly critical roles in building a competitive team. After a humbling loss to No. 18 Colorado, in which the Utes surrendered the most points in a decade, Whittingham acknowledged the success of programs leveraging the transfer portal and NIL opportunities to reshape their rosters quickly.

Speaking at his Monday press conference, Whittingham stated, “It’s going to be a heavy shopping season for us in the portal.” This remark reflects Utah’s commitment to remaining competitive by embracing the new model of roster management. Whittingham also revealed that the program has already established a budget specifically for NIL allocations to players, signaling a significant shift in how Utah approaches player recruitment and retention. “It will be a big bump in how much Utah will be paying to players,” Whittingham noted, emphasizing the importance of keeping up with the demands of modern college football.

These changes come at a pivotal moment for the Utes, who find themselves at 4-6 and on the brink of their first losing season since 2013. With two games remaining, Utah faces an uphill battle to salvage the season, starting with a matchup against No. 22 Iowa State on Senior Day this Saturday. The game, set for 7:30 p.m. MT on FOX, also serves as an opportunity to honor the team’s seniors, who have contributed significantly to the program’s success in recent years.

Kyle Whittingham says Utah extending search for next offensive coordinator

As Whittingham prepares for the offseason, his focus on NIL and the transfer portal underscores his determination to position Utah for future success. By increasing investments in players and leveraging the portal strategically, Whittingham aims to rebuild a roster capable of competing at the highest level, ensuring the Utes remain a force in an increasingly competitive college football landscape.