After a historic drawn-out trial, Young Thug is due to be released from prison after pleading guilty in his long-standing RICO case.
Standing before a judge earlier today, the rapper, whose real name is Jeffery Lamar Williams, pleaded no contest to RICO and gang leader counts, and pled guilty to the rest of his charges including two gun charges and three drug charges. The judge sentenced him to time served on several counts as well as 15 years of probation, which if successfully met would lead to the commutation of his service portion.
Before the sentencing, Thug spoke for the first time in the case after spending the past two years in prison. “I am a smart guy, I am a good guy, and I really got a good heart,” he told the judge. “I found myself in a lot of stuff because I was just nice and cool, and I understand you can’t be that way when you reach a certain height because it could end bad.”
During the dramatic hearing in court earlier today, Thug changed his plea after Superior Court Judge Paige Whitaker asked if he had agreed to a non-negotiated plea, meaning prosecutors and defense could not agree on a sentencing deal and the power to determine punishment turned over to the judge.
Georgia prosecutors had previously offered a plea that Thug turned down. That deal would have allowed him to walk free today for 15 years on probation, which if completed would have allowed him to avoid jail time, but would potentially put him behind bars for 23 years if he violated probation.
Thug was initially booked into jail in Georgia in May 2022 as part of a street gang bust. He was one of 28 people named in a 56-count indictment that included violation of Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and participating in criminal street gang activity. The case focused on YSL (“Young Slime Life”) which prosecutors claimed was a street gang that formed in 2012 in Atlanta. Thug was accused of being one of the three founders of YSL, and was charged with two counts: conspiracy to violate RICO and participation in street gang activity.
Earlier this week, three of Thug’s co-defendants — Rodalius Ryan (aka Lil Rod), Quamarvious Nichols (aka Qua) and Marquavius Huey (aka Qua) — accepted plea deals in the case. Ryan, who was already serving a life sentence for a murder case from when he was 15 years old, pled guilty to a conspiracy to violate the RICO Act. His 10-year sentence would be commuted to time that he’s already served. Nichols had several charges dropped, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison with seven to be served on probation. Huey, who was indicted on 19 charges, had some of them reduced or dropped. He was sentenced to 25 years, only nine of which he will serve in prison.
Alongside Thug, two other defendants in the case remain on trial. Deamonte Kendrick (aka Yak Gotti) and Shannon Stillwell (aka Shanon Jackson, or SB) have a litany of charges including conspiracy to violate RICO, murder counts, participation in street gang activity and more. Gotti recently rejected a plea deal and instead opted to pursue a jury trial.
