FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — On Thursday, Atlanta rapper Young Thug pleaded guilty to six of eight charges in the long-running RICO trial against him and the alleged YSL street gang, marking the end of his involvement in Georgia's longest trials.
The rapper, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, faced several charges in the case that accused him of running the Young Slime Life record label as an alleged gang. The multi-year-long trial that had dragged on in the courtroom and bounced from judge to judge finally saw significant movement this week after attorneys for Williams requested a mistrial following a mishap in which a witness accidentally read redacted information from the stand.
With the possibility of a mistrial looming, several of the remaining defendants cut plea deals earlier this week, culminating with Williams entering his own non-negotiated plea Thursday. The judge then sentenced Williams and allowed him to go free.
What charges did Young Thug plead guilty to?
Williams pleaded guilty to the following charges Thursday:
- Participation in criminal street gang activity - guilty
- Violation of the Georgia controlled substances act (x3) - guilty
- Possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony - guilty
- Possession of a machine gun - guilty
- Street gang leader - nolo (no contest)
- Conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organization Act (RICO) - nolo (no contest)
The no-contest pleas mean that he decided not to contest those charges but can be punished for them as if he had pleaded guilty.
Young Thug's sentence, terms
Williams, entered a non-negotiated plea Thursday, which meant the state and defense each submitted its recommendations, but the judge ultimately decided the sentence.
Judge Paige Whitaker sentenced Williams to 40 years, with the first five to be served in prison but commuted to time served, followed by 15 years on probation. If he successfully completes that probation without any violations, another 20 years will be commuted to time served. But if he violates the conditions, he will have to serve those 20 years in addition to any penalty for a probation violation.
The judge imposed several special conditions, including that Young Thug must stay away from the metro Atlanta area for the first 10 years of his probation, except for weddings, funerals, graduations or serious illness of family members, the judge said.
But she also ordered him to return to the Atlanta area four times a year during his probation to make a live anti-gang, anti-gun violence presentation at a school or a community organization serving children. She said that can count toward the 100 hours of community service she ordered him to perform each year during probation.
He's also not allowed to associate with gang members or with the victims or other defendants in the case, with the exception of his brother and the rapper Gunna, with whom he has contractual obligations. He also cannot promote any criminal street gang or gang activity and can't use hand signs or terminology that promotes a street gang.
Additional conditions include submitting to random drug screens and not possessing a gun. However, he is allowed to travel both nationally and internationally for work, even while on probation.
After entering the plea, Williams addressed the court remorsefully, saying, "I promise you I won't be in this situation again," he told the judge. "I'm sorry — you are truly the best thing that's happened to me because you've made everything fair for everybody involved on both sides."
What happens now?
The context around how the trial will go forward remains unclear. It has been more than a week now since a regular court session, as negotiations have been going on between prosecutors and defense attorneys and the jury has not been summoned back to court.
The three defendants to plead guilty this week under negotiated deals were Quamarvious Nichols, on Tuesday, then Rodalius Ryan and Marquavius Huey on Wednesday. There were varying terms for those plea deals, which you can read about here.
Material from the Associated Press contributed to this report. Contributing: Grace King and Dajhea Jones.