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Young Thug Takes Plea Deal In Criminal Trial
ATLANTA Rapper YOUNG THUG (JEFFERY LAMAR WILLIAMS,) changed his plea to guilty THURSDAY (10/31) in GEORGIA’s longest-running criminal trial. The agreement, which includes probation and time served. This ends his part in the case which began with jury selection in JANUARY 2023.
The plea change was initially uncertain when Superior Court Judge PAIGE WHITAKER asked if YOUNG THUG would accept a non-negotiated plea, meaning sentencing would be determined solely by the judge. After a brief recess, he agreed to plead guilty to drug- and gun-related charges and no contest to conspiracy and street gang participation charges.
Judge WHITAKER sentenced YOUNG THUG to 40 years, which would have required him to serve five years in prison. However, the sentence was commuted to time served, with an additional 15 years of probation. Violations during probation could lead to a 20-year prison term.
Restrictions in the deal include a travel ban within METRO ATLANTA, a prohibition on contact with gang affiliates, and a requirement for community service, which includes anti-gang presentations to local groups and children.
Judge WHITAKER said, “There better be no violations, but if there are any, you’re coming back to see me.”
YOUNG THUG, 33, had been held since his arrest in MAY 2022 on charges of leading an alleged street gang accused of various violent and illegal activities, including murder, armed robbery, and drug dealing.
Prosecutors alleged the rap label he founded, YOUNG STONER LIFE (YSL) RECORDS, was a front for an organized crime syndicate responsible for 75 to 80 per cent of violent crime in ATLANTA.
FULTON COUNTY District Attorney FANI WILLIS applied GEORGIA’s RICO statute to claim that YOUNG THUG and his associates operated as a street gang with ties to the BLOODS gang.