Rapper Young Thug pleads guilty in YSL racketeering case
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Atlanta Rapper Young Thug sits in court during his ongoing gang and racketeering trial in Fulton County. Photo: Miguel Martinez/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta rapper Young Thug has pleaded guilty in the complex Young Slime Life racketeering trial in Fulton County.
Why it matters: The agreement means the highest-profile co-defendant in the case will exit what's become the longest trial in Georgia's history.
The latest: The rapper, whose name is Jeffery Williams, pleaded guilty Thursday to participating in criminal street gang activity, possession of drugs and other charges.
- Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker sentenced the rapper to a total of 40 years.
- The first five years were to be served in prison, but the judge commuted that to time served followed by 15 years on probation.
- If he does not complete probation, Williams will have to serve 20 years in prison.
- He will have to stay away from the metro Atlanta area (as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau) for the first 10 years of probation.
- While on probation, Williams will be required to come to metro Atlanta four times a year to do an anti-gang and anti-gun violence event and perform 100 hours of community service each year.
What they're saying: Williams' lawyer Brian Steel, who was held in contempt of court in June, said Thursday that he did not agree with Williams' decision to accept a plea because "I think we're winning the trial, and we should go to verdict."
- "But he told me, 'I can't wait another three months, if there is any possibility I could go home, because I have children that are hurting'," Steel said, adding Williams also has medical issues.
- Williams said he takes "full responsibility for my crimes."
Catch up quick: Williams and 27 other co-defendants were originally charged in a 65-count indictment in May 2022.
- Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis alleged that Williams co-founded Young Slime Life in southeast Atlanta's Cleveland Avenue area in 2012 and later promoted the organization in songs and on social media.
- Williams maintained YSL was only a music label.
Context: Troubled from the start, the trial has seen three judges, defendants accused of having drugs in court, a Fulton County jailer accused of taking bribes from a defendant's family, and Steel being held in contempt of court.
- Before the trial began, several defendants accepted plea deals and the trial began in January 2023 with Williams and 13 other co-defendants.
- Three of Williams' co-defendants, Rodalius Ryan, Marquavius Huey and Quamarvious Nichols, accepted plea deals earlier this week.
- In June, Steel was also arrested and held in contempt of court after he accused prosecutors and Judge Ural Glanville, who was previously overseeing the case, of holding an improper ex parte meeting with a key witness.
- The Georgia Supreme Court reversed the trial court's ruling against Steel.
Between the lines: Willis' prosecution is centered on the state's racketeering or "RICO" law targeting a "pattern of racketeering activity," something she used successfully to prosecute educators in the 2015 Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal.
The big picture: Willis' decision sparked debate about whether prosecutors can use rap lyrics as evidence. Rappers including Jay-Z and Meek Mill have called for limits on how prosecutors can use musicians' lyrics in criminal trials against the artists.