YNW Bortlen, the Florida rapper who was arrested, in 2019, and accused of taking part in the killings of two members of his YNW crew, has agreed to take a plea deal. Bortlen pleaded no contest to one count of tampering with a witness, two counts of being an accessory to a capital felony, and one count of unlawful use of a two-way communication device.
In exchange for his plea, prosecutors agreed to dismiss several charges against YNW Bortlen: two counts of first-degree murder, one count of witness tampering, and directing the activities of a criminal gang.
YNW Bortlen, whose legal name is Cortlen Malik Henry, was sentenced to 10 years in prison, which will be followed by six years of probation. He will be given credit for time served. A spokesperson for the Broward County state attorney’s office also told Pitchfork that Bortlen will have to give a sworn statement to prosecutors that will explain his role in the alleged acts.
“It’s important to note that Cortlen pled not guilty today, so he has not admitted anything,” Joseph E. “Joe” Nascimento, an attorney for YNW Bortlen, told Pitchfork. “There is no requirement or expectation that he cooperate with the prosecution against his co-defendant in the case, nor do I anticipate that he will be called as a witness by either side, so his plea should not be construed as an admission of any kind, nor can it be used against him or anybody else. Trial was set to begin tomorrow, and he was facing multiple counts of mandatory life sentences if found guilty, so this plea was in his best interest to mitigate any exposure, and so that’s why he decided to move forward today.”
YNW Bortlen was arrested in 2019 alongside fellow Florida rapper YNW Melly and charged with first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of Christopher “YNW Juvy” Thomas Jr. and Anthony “YNW Sakchaser” Williams. Bortlen, who was 20 at the time of his arrest, was released on bond in 2020, but he was returned to custody after being charged with witness tampering in October 2023.
YNW Melly’s trial began in June 2023. It ended a month later in a mistrial, but it is still in the process of being retried, with the case scheduled to restart in January 2027.
