The Young Thug trial is over, and the Atlanta rap legend is headed home. Thug, real name Jeffery Williams, accepted a plea deal in his RICO case, allowing him to go free under probation for the next 15 years, the New York Times reports.
Thug has been under arrest since May 2022 and on trial since November 2023 — the longest trial in Georgia history. He was charged with gun, drug, and gang-related crimes allegedly related to his record label YSL. He accepted a blind guilty plea, which means the judge decides his sentence, in addition to pleading no contest to two charges. The prosecution recommended 45 years, with 25 served followed by 20 on probation. The defense recommended 45 years with five served, commuted to the time already served in custody. Judge Paige Reese Whitaker decided on 40 years with five served, commuted to time served with 15 years probation. Brian Steel, Thug’s lawyer, said he accepted the deal because the lengthy legal proceedings were “holding this man hostage.”
If Thug does not meet the terms of his probation, he is subject to a possible 20 years in custody. He is also barred from the metro Atlanta area for the next 10 years, with certain exceptions. He must complete 100 hours of community service, give anti-gang presentations to children four times a year, take random drug tests, and refrain from associating with known gang members besides his brother, Quintavis Grier (the rapper known as Unfoonk) and Gunna (Sergio Kitchens), who is signed to YSL and is a longtime Young Thug collaborator. Thug specifically requested the right to maintain contact with Gunna, who was widely accused of snitching when he struck his own plea deal last year. Thug rejected an earlier plea deal today that would have resulted in a more lenient sentence but would have required him to testify that he was a gang a leader and his music encouraged others to commit violence.
Thug provided this statement to the court ahead of sentencing:
I hope that you allow me to go home today and trust in me to do the right thing and never see you again. I promise you, I won’t ever be in this type of situation again. I’m going away, I’ve learned from my mistakes — you know, I come from nothing and I’ve made something. I didn’t take full advantage of it. I’m sorry.
The trial was protracted and chaotic, starting with a postponement due to the stabbing of co-defendant Shannon Stillwell. (Stillwell, known as SB or Shannon Jackson, and Deamonte Kendrick, known as Yak Gotti, will remain on trial.) One of Thug’s lawyers, Nicole Fegan, was also arrested on gang-related charges. One witness — Kenneth Copeland, aka Lil Woody — was arrested on the stand for refusing to testify. Steel was held in contempt for objecting to an illegal private conversation between Judge Ural Glanville and the prosecution, which led to Glanville’s removal from the case. His replacement, Judge Shukura L. Ingram, immediately recused herself because she’s related to a Fulton County courthouse deputy who was arrested for allegedly attempting to smuggle in contraband to another YSL defendant. In comments to the press, Steel praised Whitaker for her handling of the trial: “She’s not our first judge, but she’s the first time we received justice.”
THUG PLEADS “NO CONTEST” TO THE RICO COUNT AND THE GANG LEADER COUNT THE REST HE PLEADS GUILTY pic.twitter.com/MVlJIanFhn
YOUNG THUG’S LAWYER SAYS THUG INSISTED ON THIS BECAUSE HE COULDN’T HANDLE 3 MORE MONTHS OF HIS KIDS HURTING IF THERE WAS A CHANCE HE COULD COME HOME TODAY HIS LAWYER TOLD HIM THEY WERE WINNING TRIAL AND WAS OKAY WITH EITHER DECISION pic.twitter.com/dA9umVsS7H
STATE WAS READY TO LET THUG GO HOME TODAY IF HE TESTIFIED TO BEING A GANG LEADER AND THAT HIS MUSIC ENCOURAGED PEOPLE TO COMMIT VIOLENCE HE WAS SICK OF ALL THE CONDITIONS AND WALKED AWAY FROM THE DEAL. SUDDENLY, THEY ARE RECOMMENDING 25 YEARS INSTEAD. pic.twitter.com/LC0tBc9Zwb
YOUNG THUG ASKS FOR TIME SERVED + 3 YEARS HOUSE ARREST ON AN ANKLE MONITOR HE PLEDGES TO DO A YEARLY CHARITY CONCERT HE PLEDGES TO GIVE 100K A YEAR FOR 3 YEARS TO FULTON COUNTY FOR ILLEGAL GUN BUY BACKS pic.twitter.com/M3uNkk3kvU
YOUNG THUG SPECIFICALLY ASKS TO BE ALLOWED TO CONTINUE TO MAKE MUSIC WITH GUNNA pic.twitter.com/RFRl6M4TfQ
YOUNG THUG SPEAKS 🙏🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/BohRHUcgei
JUDGE RESPONDS TO YOUNG THUG AND TALKS ABOUT HIS IMPACT AND THE IMPACT OF RAP MUSIC pic.twitter.com/Geuv2GQPDm
FULL SENTENCING THIS JUDGE SAW THROUGH THE STATE’S GAMES AND RULES THAT THUG IS NOT A DANGER HE’S FREE TODAY!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/Dr7eZdZOAW
POST GAME INTERVIEW WITH YOUNG THUG’S LAWYERS ABOUT HOW YOUNG THUG FEELS NOW pic.twitter.com/dDADNx1nXu
Full post-game interview with Young Thug’s lawyers, Brian Steel and Keith Adams 🐐🐐 pic.twitter.com/e8zsLc42Kl
