Rapper Young Thug has pleaded guilty, bringing his lengthy YSL RICO case to a close — provided he adheres to the terms of his sentence.
The Grammy-winning rapper, whose real name is Jeffery Lamar Williams, entered his plea to gang, drug, and gun charges on Thursday, Oct. 31 in Atlanta, and was set to be released from jail, according to the Associated Press.
Young Thug’s plea deal came after negotiations with prosecutors fell through, leaving his sentence entirely in the hands of Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker.
The rapper, 33, faced legal troubles since his arrest two and a half years ago. He was charged with conspiracy to violate the state’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and participating in criminal street gang activity.
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As previously reported, prosecutors filed RICO charges in 2022 against Young Thug and fellow rapper Gunna, along with 26 of their associates from “Young Slime Life” (YSL), a rap collective which prosecutors alleged was a violent street gang.
Prosecutors said he and two others founded Young Slime Life in 2012, and that the gang was affiliated with the Bloods.
The Associated Press reports that three of Young Thug’s co-defendants also pleaded guilty this week after striking deals with prosecutors.
Before the trial began, nine others charged in the indictment accepted plea deals.
Gunna, who pleaded guilty to a racketeering conspiracy charge in December 2022, stated he did so to “end my personal ordeal” while maintaining his innocence. He received a five-year sentence, with four years suspended, and served the final year as time served.
In his own plea agreement, Young Thug received a 40-year sentence, which includes 15 years of probation. He will be credited for five years served, and the remaining 20-year prison sentence may be imposed if he fails to complete his probation successfully.
The conditions of his probation include: Staying away from Atlanta for the first 10 years, except if a family member becomes seriously ill, or he needs to attend weddings, funerals, or graduations, the judge said.
He must perform community service by making a live anti-gang, anti-gun violence presentation at a school or a community organization for children.
The judge also ordered him to avoid gang members, submit to random drug tests, and not possess a gun.
This concludes what has become the longest trial in Georgia history.
Watch Thursday’s hearing in the video below: