{"id":3099,"date":"2024-10-31T21:21:41","date_gmt":"2024-10-31T21:21:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2024\/10\/31\/young-thug-pleads-out-of-ysl-rico-trial-in-georgia\/"},"modified":"2024-10-31T21:21:41","modified_gmt":"2024-10-31T21:21:41","slug":"young-thug-pleads-out-of-ysl-rico-trial-in-georgia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2024\/10\/31\/young-thug-pleads-out-of-ysl-rico-trial-in-georgia\/","title":{"rendered":"Young Thug Pleads Out of YSL RICO Trial in Georgia"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\n\tGrammy-winning rapper Young Thug<\/a> pleaded out of his long-running racketeering conspiracy case in Georgia on Thursday. The artist, born Jeffery Williams, has been in custody since his 2022 arrest.<\/p>\n

\n\tWilliams, 33, pleaded \u201cno contest\u201d to Count 1, racketeering conspiracy, and Count 56, participation in a criminal street gang in a leadership role. He pleaded guilty to three drug charges, two gun charges and one lesser gang charge. Fulton County Chief Deputy District Attorney Adriane Love asked the court to forbid the no contest pleas, but Judge Paige Reese Whitacker said she would allow them.<\/p>\n

\n\tWilliams\u2019 plea Thursday was \u201cnon-negotiated,\u201d leaving his sentence up to the judge. If convicted as charged at trial, Williams faced a maximum of 120 years in prison. Prosecutors had offered him a negotiated deal that would have allowed him to walk out of jail Thursday but face a possible 23-year prison sentence if he violated his probation. Talks broke down over the terms of that probation, his lawyer told the court.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe new plea capped a dramatic day for the \u201cDigits\u201d rapper. After extensive plea negotiations behind closed doors, he first appeared in the courtroom shortly before 4 p.m. local time. \u201cIt is my understanding that the state and Mr. Williams were very close to a negotiated agreement but have reached an impasse \u2013 and that is Mr. Williams\u2019 desire to enter a non-negotiated plea,\u201d Judge Paige Reese Whitaker said. \u201cIs that correct?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe courtroom camera then panned to Williams, who sat silently between his two defense lawyers. After a short silence, the judge asked, \u201cAm I misinformed?\u201d Williams then turned to look at his longtime lawyer, Brian Steel. \u201cDo y\u2019all need a minute in private?\u201d the judge asked before calling another recess. <\/p>\n

\n\tWilliams\u2019 plea followed after three other defendants took mid-trial deals this week<\/a> amid a looming mistrial motion prompted by an evidence mishap last week<\/a>. None of the deals required any written cooperation agreements or promises to testify against other defendants. One deal was called \u201cremarkable\u201d by the judge because it only required former defendant Marquavius Huey to serve nine years in custody. Huey had been facing the possibility of three life sentences.<\/p>\n

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\t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n

\n\tWilliams has maintained his innocence throughout the case. Prosecutors claimed he was the kingpin of a Bloods-affiliated gang called Young Slime Life, but their theory of the case seemed to falter in August when their key witness, Kenneth \u201cWoody\u201d Copeland, got on the stand and disavowed his prior statements implicating Williams in the 2015 murder of Donovan \u201cNut\u201d Thomas. Williams wasn\u2019t specifically charged with Thomas\u2019 murder, but prosecutors showed jurors a recorded June 2015 police interview in which Copeland claimed Williams met a group of\u00a0alleged\u00a0YSL members at a Texaco gas station<\/a>\u00a0to hand over the rented Infinity linked to the slaying. On the witness stand, Copeland said he concocted the story about Williams\u2019 alleged connection to Thomas\u2019 murder because he was under arrest on a gun charge and was trying to offer a \u201cbig fish\u201d to make a deal so he could avoid going back to jail.<\/p>\n

\n\tWilliams\u2019s lawyer, Brian Steel, also got Copeland to admit under cross-examination that he was involved in a heated conflict with Thomas around the time of Thomas\u2019 Jan. 10, 2015 murder. Copeland testified that he believed Thomas wanted him \u201cphysically\u201d harmed<\/a>. In his opening statement last November, Steel suggested it was Copeland who killed Thomas. He said the evidence would show Copeland was an \u201carmed career criminal\u201d who wanted revenge after he was beaten up at an Atlanta club for allegedly stealing items from Thomas\u2019 car. Steel\u2019s cross-examination was designed to raise reasonable doubt in jurors\u2019 minds by implying Copeland had a motive to kill Thomas. (Copeland was charged with Thomas\u2019 murder in 2015, but the charge was later dropped. He was granted immunity to testify.)<\/p>\n

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\t\tRelated Content<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n

\n\tIn his opening statement, Steel also described Williams\u2019 humble beginnings and determination to make a better life for himself. He said Williams was \u201cborn into an environment, a community, a society that was filled with depression, despair, hopelessness, and helplessness.\u201d He said his client was raised in public housing, sharing a small bedroom with four brothers while six sisters shared a separate room. \u201cSevere poverty\u201d and the shooting death of his 20-year-old brother left Williams with an \u201cembedded\u201d distrust of police and the justice system, Steel said. The high-profile lawyer hailed Williams for surmounting the \u201cgenerational\u201d harms of institutional racism and becoming a world-renowned artist.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cHe worked so hard. He outworked everyone,\u201d Steel said last November, adding that Williams\u2019 \u201cThug\u201d moniker is an acronym for Truly Humbled Under God. \u201cHe\u2019s not running this criminal street gang,\u201d Steel said. \u201cHe is not sitting there telling people to kill people. He doesn\u2019t need their money. Jeffery is worth tens of millions of dollars.\u201d The defense lawyer added that Williams \u201cdoesn\u2019t even know most of the people in this indictment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWilliams rose to prominence in the music industry with his acrobatic voice, flamboyant fashions, and innovative rapping on releases like 2014\u2019s Rich Gang: Tha Tour Pt. 1<\/a> (with Rich Homie Quan), 2015\u2019s Barter 6<\/a>, and 2016\u2019s Jeffery<\/a>. He\u2019s collaborated with many of the biggest artists in pop and hip-hop, starred on a digital cover of Rolling Stone<\/em><\/a>, and won a Grammy for Song of the Year for his contributions to Childish Gambino\u2019s 2018 single \u201cThis is America.\u201d<\/a> His record label, Young Stoner Life, topped the Billboard 200 with its Slime Language 2<\/a> compilation, where Williams led a group of artists, including Gunna, Drake, Travis Scott, and Lil Baby.<\/p>\n

\n\tOver the course of his nearly two-year trial proceeding, which started with jury selection in January 2023, Williams appeared in court almost weekly, his attentiveness to the trial apparent on a livestream managed by Law&Crime<\/em> and followed by thousands. The trial that started with six defendants was plagued by problems from the start and garnered waves of global attention with the dramatic on-camera arrest of Steel on a contempt charge<\/a> (it was later dropped) and the recusal of Fulton County Chief Judge Ural Glanville<\/a> over his handling of a secret meeting with Copeland and prosecutors that excluded the defense.<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter the case was re-assigned to Judge Paige Reese Whitaker, it appeared to be moving along more efficiently<\/a>. But the evidence mishap last Wednesday, where a witness read aloud something that was supposed to be excluded, sent the trial to the brink of a possible mistrial yet again and triggered the new round of plea deals.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe first defendant to accept a mid-trial deal was Quamarvious Nichols, 29. He pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of conspiracy to violate Georgia\u2019s RICO act. Six other counts, including a murder charge, were dismissed under the deal. Judge Whitaker immediately sentenced Nichols to his negotiated sentence of 20 years, with seven years served in custody and 13 years of probation. He had been facing a possible life sentence.<\/p>\n

\n\tNichols\u2019 lawyer, Bruce Harvey, said his client agreed to acknowledge two \u201cdrug events\u201d dating back to 2017 and 2018 but nothing more. \u201cWe categorically deny and contest any use of violence by Mr. Nichols,\u201d Harvey told Judge Whitaker. Nichols had been charged with the 2022 murder of Shymel Drinks, an alleged associate of rival Atlanta rapper YFN Lucci.<\/p>\n

\n\tTwo more defendants, Rodalius Ryan, 20, and Marquavius Huey, 28, tendered pleas on Wednesday. Ryan pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate Georgia\u2019s RICO law and was immediately sentenced to 10 years, which was commuted to time served. He already is serving a life sentence, with the possibility of parole, for the 2019 murder of Jamari Holmes. Ryan was 15 at the time of Holmes\u2019 death and hopes to eventually be released on appeal, his lawyer told the court. Holmes\u2019 murder is listed as an overt act in the state\u2019s sprawling 65-count indictment that named more than two dozen defendants, including Williams when it was unsealed two years ago.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe categorically and adamantly deny that YSL is the criminal and dangerous street gang that it has been made out to be during this trial,\u201d Ryan\u2019s lawyer, Leah\u00a0Abbasi, told the court during his plea hearing. Judge Whitaker accepted Ryan\u2019s plea, saying she personally found a \u201cfactual basis\u201d for it based on the court record.<\/p>\n

\n\tHuey pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiracy to violate Georgia\u2019s RICO act as well as several other counts, including robbery, reduced from armed robbery. Under Huey\u2019s deal, prosecutors agreed to dismiss other counts, including allegations of hijacking and aggravated assault. Judge Whitaker immediately sentenced Huey to 25 years, to be served as nine years in custody, nine on probation, and five years suspended. (Huey has already served two years since he was booked in the YSL case while already in custody for the murder conviction.) Huey originally was charged with 19 counts and was facing the possibility of multiple life sentences. Judge Whitaker called his deal \u201cremarkable\u201d and a \u201chuge opportunity\u201d to turn his life around.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cMr. Huey is very grateful that he was able to resolve his case today,\u201d his lead lawyer, Carlton Matthews Sr., tells Rolling Stone<\/em>. \u201cHe was facing three life sentences and resolved his case without being required to be a cooperating witness and in a manner that allows him to potentially be released within a few years. It concludes a dark chapter in his life, and he looks forward to a bright future.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe two other co-defendants still remaining in the current trial are Deamonte \u201cYak Gotti\u201d Kendrick and Shannon Stillwell. A total of 28 defendants were charged in the original indictment.\u00a0Nine took plea deals before the current trial started, and 12 others are set to be tried separately. Prosecutors dropped their case against one defendant after he was convicted of murder in an unrelated case.<\/p>\n

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\t\tTrending Stories<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n

\n\t\u201cShannon Stillwell has been wrongfully accused of the crimes alleged in this indictment,\u201d Stillwell\u2019s lawyer, Max Schardt, said in a statement sent Wednesday to Rolling Stone<\/em>.\u00a0\u201cWe have never wavered. Mr. Stillwell is innocent, and we are fully prepared to continue to fight this case in Court once the trial resumes.\u00a0We appreciate and continue to ask for the support of so many people who have followed this case for the past two years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tKendrick\u2019s lawyer, Douglas Weinstein, told Rolling Stone<\/em> Wednesday that his team remains \u201copen to any reasonable plea offers\u201d and would discuss them with Kendrick, \u201cas is our obligation,\u201d amid such a long and unpredictable trial.\u00a0\u201cWe are encouraged by the plea deals negotiated by our codefendant\u2019s counsel. Those deals removed the uncertainty inherent in any jury trial and provided finality in a long, stressful trial,\u201d he said in an email.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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Grammy-winning rapper Young Thug pleaded out of his long-running racketeering conspiracy case in Georgia on Thursday. The artist, born Jeffery Williams, has been in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":3100,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3099","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pop","article","has-excerpt","has-avatar","has-author","has-date","has-comment-count","has-category-meta","has-read-more","thumbnail-"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3099","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3099"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3099\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3099"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3099"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3099"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}