Lil Durk may have scored a major legal victory after being acquitted in his federal murder-for-hire trial, but the Grammy-winning rapper’s fight for freedom is not over.
The Chicago star, whose real name is Durk Banks, remains in federal custody as he prepares to face a separate trial involving serious racketeering-related allegations. The next trial is currently scheduled to begin on October 5, 2026.
At the center of the upcoming case is a federal charge of murder in aid of racketeering, commonly known as a VICAR charge. Prosecutors allege that Durk led a criminal enterprise connected to his Only the Family (OTF) collective and that violence was used to benefit or maintain status within the organization. Durk has denied the allegations.
The racketeering case reaches beyond the 2022 Los Angeles shooting that formed the basis of Durk’s recently completed murder-for-hire trial.
Federal prosecutors have accused Durk of involvement in a January 2022 Chicago killing of an alleged rival gang member. According to the indictment, Durk allegedly offered a reward connected to the killing and later brought approximately $1 million in cash to a music studio. These claims remain allegations and have not been proven at trial.
Prosecutors have also cited an alleged 2019 shooting in Atlanta, claiming Durk and others were involved in an attack connected to a dispute over a reportedly stolen vehicle. The alleged victim survived.
The racketeering allegations were originally added to Durk’s broader federal prosecution in June 2026. However, his attorneys fought to have the new charges separated from the murder-for-hire case. In July, U.S. District Judge Michael Fitzgerald granted the request, meaning the racketeering allegations would be considered in a separate trial.
That decision became particularly significant after Durk was acquitted in the murder-for-hire case.
While fans celebrated that verdict, Durk remains behind bars as attention now shifts toward the October trial. His defense team has strongly rejected prosecutors’ portrayal of the rapper and OTF, maintaining that Durk is innocent.
For now, one major legal battle is over but another potentially consequential federal case is just weeks away.
