JT, the Miami rapper born Jatavia Shakara Johnson and one half of City Girls, went to federal prison for credit card fraud and aggravated identity theft. She pleaded guilty to using stolen credit card numbers to buy clothing and gift cards at mall stores, was sentenced to 24 months, and spent roughly 15 to 16 months behind bars before finishing her sentence at a halfway house.
The Fraud Scheme Behind the Charges
In 2016 and 2017, JT used a handful of stolen credit card numbers to buy clothing and gift cards from retail stores. Prosecutors described it as a scheme to obtain items she could not afford on her wages at the time. She was arrested in June 2017 at a Nordstrom after completing a purchase of shoes with one of the stolen numbers.1The Cut. City Girls Are More Like You Than You Think
The Federal Case and Guilty Plea
JT was indicted in the Southern District of Florida in August 2017, in case number 1:17-cr-20559, before Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga. The indictment included multiple counts and a forfeiture provision. On November 9, 2017, she entered a plea agreement and pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated identity theft.2CourtListener. United States v. Johnson She received a 24-month federal sentence. The case was terminated on January 29, 2018, and she was released on bond to await her surrender date.
Prison Sentence and Release
JT turned herself in on June 29 or 30, 2018.3Billboard. City Girls’ JT Begins Jail Sentence for Fraud She reported first to the Federal Detention Center in Miami, then served the bulk of her sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tallahassee.1The Cut. City Girls Are More Like You Than You Think Her scheduled release date was March 21, 2020.
In May 2019, with about nine months left and 108 days of good-behavior credit on her record, JT asked for early release. The request was denied, though the judge referred her case to the Bureau of Prisons for further consideration.4Vibe. City Girls’ JT Denied Early Prison Release
She walked out of prison on October 8, 2019, after roughly 15 to 16 months inside.5The Fader. JT of City Girls Is Out of Prison From there she was transferred to RRM Atlanta, a federal residential reentry facility, where she stayed in custody until her official release on March 7, 2020.6XXL. City Girls’ JT Released From Federal Custody and Halfway House The halfway house let her leave during the day for work and family visits.7Revolt. City Girls’ JT Released to Halfway House
What City Girls Did While She Was Locked Up
The timing was unusual. JT surrendered the night after Drake released “In My Feelings,” the single that featured City Girls and became one of the biggest songs of the summer.8Billboard. City Girls Billboard Cover Story Yung Miami carried the group alone during the sentence, performing solo and filming videos while the duo released the Period mixtape and the November 2018 debut album Girl Code.9Complex. City Girls’ JT Sends Love to Cardi B and Fans From Prison Their single “Act Up” climbed the Billboard Hot 100 while JT was still inside. On the night of her release, she dropped a track called “JT First Day Out.”
How JT Has Talked About It Since
JT has said prison both sharpened her as an artist and left her with lasting anxiety. “I feel like I got better. Going to prison and coming out gave me more edge in my music when I rap and in my voice,” she told the Abolition X podcast. “It did put a lot of fear in me too. It put a lot of anxiety in me. It changed me completely.”10Revolt. JT Reflects on Time in Prison
She described feeling “completely disconnected from everything happening in the outside world” while incarcerated, and said a long-standing reputation as a troublemaker had become a self-fulfilling prophecy. “My whole life, I have always been painted as a rebellious person and to the point where I started to believe it,” she said. “If you always tell me that I’m the problem, I’m going to believe that I’m the problem.”10Revolt. JT Reflects on Time in Prison