Young Thug Released from Jail After Pleading Guilty in Georgia’s Longest Criminal Trial

US rapper Young Thug was released from jail on Thursday evening after pleading guilty to charges related to gang activity, drugs, and firearms, concluding the longest criminal trial in Georgia’s history.

The Grammy winner, born Jeffery Lamar Williams, had been incarcerated for over 900 days since his arrest on charges of racketeering and gang involvement.

In May 2022, prosecutors claimed that the rap label he founded served as a front for a criminal syndicate responsible for a significant portion of violent crime in Atlanta.

On Thursday, he was sentenced to time served and 15 years of probation, and jail records confirm his release that same night.

Mr Williams stated in court, “I take full responsibility for my crimes, for my charges.

“To really everybody that has got something to do with this situation, I want to say sorry.”

In a short address, he depicted himself as a well-intentioned individual whose amiable nature led him into difficulties. He conceded that achieving a certain level of success demands greater prudence.

Prosecutors had initially sought a 45-year sentence, including 25 years in custody and 20 on probation. However, plea negotiations fell through, and Superior Court Judge Paige Whitaker commuted his sentence to the time already served, allowing for his release.

“I want you to try to be more of the solution and less of the problem,” Judge Whitaker advised him.

As part of the plea deal, Mr Williams admitted guilt to one gang charge, three drug charges, and two gun charges. He also entered a no-contest plea to charges of leading a gang and violating the state’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations (RICO) Act, accepting punishment without contesting the charges.

Judge Whitaker also mandated 100 hours of community service, restricted contact with gang members or former co-defendants, and banned him from the metropolitan Atlanta area for the first 10 years of his probation, except for special circumstances such as weddings, funerals, and required anti-gang and anti-gun presentations.

This plea deal concludes a multi-defendant case marked by numerous delays, courtroom disruptions, and motions for mistrial.

Following his May 2022 arrest, prosecutors charged Mr Williams and 27 associates at his Young Stoner Life (YSL) Records with conspiracy to violate the RICO Act, a charge often used in mafia prosecutions. They claimed that YSL stood for a criminal gang known as Young Slime Life, linking the group to several felony offences including murder, armed robbery, and carjacking in Atlanta.

The indictment faced significant backlash, with critics arguing that using YSL rap lyrics as evidence infringed on the rappers’ freedom of speech and targeted a predominantly black art form.

Many of Mr Williams’s co-defendants accepted plea deals or had their cases separated, and one had charges dropped following an unrelated murder conviction. By the time the trial began, only six defendants remained.

Jury selection, which started in January 2023, lasted nearly 10 months. In July, the trial was indefinitely paused after Mr Williams’s lawyers requested a previous judge recuse himself over misconduct allegations. They claimed Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville held an improper private meeting with prosecutors and a key witness to pressure the witness into testifying.

Mr Williams’s lead attorney, Brian Steel, was held in criminal contempt in June for refusing to disclose how he learned about the meeting.

The trial also witnessed unusual incidents, such as the arrest of a Fulton County deputy for allegedly trying to smuggle contraband to a defendant, and the hacking of the court’s Zoom account by a supporter of Mr Williams.

Earlier this week, three of Mr Williams’s co-defendants accepted plea deals. The remaining two defendants, Shannon Stillwell and Deamonte Kendrick, plan to proceed with their trials.

Frances Ibiefo

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