ATLANTA — Young Thug was denied bond again in Fulton County court on Thursday, the third time such a decision has been made against him since he was arrested in the sweeping Young Slime Life street gang RICO case earlier this year.
The Atlanta rapper, whose legal name is Jeffery Williams, is set to continue to remain in Cobb County Jail until the RICO trial begins, with a tentative date set for early January.
He was back in court remotely for a motions hearing, which saw him waive concerns about potential conflicts of interest for his lawyer, Brian Steel, in order to keep him as his defense attorney going forward.
The motion to reconsider bond was later also brought up before the court. He was twice previously denied bond.
Young Thug's attorneys argued the prosecution had made misrepresentations in previous bond hearings, including attributing song lyrics to the rapper that, they said, he did not write.
"I believe the court was misled in that regard, saying Mr. Williams made those declarations - he simply did not, that's not accurate," his attorney Keith Adams said.
The prosecution countered that he if he did not write the lyrics, he was publicly credited with them, and that it was immaterial anyway because, they said, "he's the general" of the gang.
"He says in the songs he's the general. He runs a very violent street gang that has committed numerous murders... if he's let out I would expect that to continue. This is the real deal, these are violent people, dangerous people," the prosecutor said.
Young Thug has been in jail since his arrest earlier this year in the RICO indictment brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
Prosecutors have alleged that the rapper is the active leader of the Young Slime Life street gang - a claim Young Thug and his attorneys have stringently denied. The defense team has strongly maintained the rapper's innocence, saying at a hearing in May that they did not agree Young Thug is "responsible for any type of crime."
The case was reindicted last week, adding new charges against Young Thug.
In previously denying bond, the judge had determined the rapper was a flight risk and a risk to interfere with others included in the indictment or potential witnesses.
This is a developing story. Check back often for new information.
Also download the 11Alive News app and sign up to receive alerts for the latest on this story and other breaking news in Atlanta and north Georgia.