Rapper Young Thug released under house arrest as part of plea deal in Georgia RICO case

ATLANTA — Young Thug was sentenced to time served in a massive case that initially involved dozens of defendants.

The rapper, whose real name is Jeffrey Williams, was released Thursday night after more than 900 days in custody, according to jail records. He will have to serve 15 years of probation as part of an unresolved plea agreement.

On Thursday, Williams entered into an unagreed plea deal related to several charges, including possession of a firearm and participation in a criminal street gang, while he pleaded not guilty to racketeering and leading a criminal street gang. This case became the longest in the history of Georgia.

Williams was indicted in 2022 along with more than two dozen others under Georgia’s sweeping Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, known as RICO.

Prosecutors accused the rapper of leading a violent street gang that committed murders and a string of violent crimes in Atlanta a decade ago. Williams denies being the head of the criminal enterprise.

They claimed that YSL – an acronym for the artist’s label Young Stoner Life Records – also stands for Young Slime Life, an Atlanta-based criminal street gang with ties to the national Bloods gang.

Prosecutors sought to prove that Young Thug was the declared leader of the YSL gang and was involved in crimes committed by its members, including the murder of an alleged rival gang member in 2015. Prosecutors say Young Thug allegedly rented the car that was used by YSL members in the murder.

Several other defendants in the case, including rapper Gunna, took plea deals or had their cases thrown out of court. Young Thug was one of six defendants being tried together. The rapper has been in prison since his arrest in May 2022.

Williams pleaded guilty to six counts – one count of participating in criminal street gang activity, three counts of violating the Georgia Controlled Substances Act, one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and one count of possession machine gun.

The two no-contest pleas meant he could still be sentenced on the charges as if a guilty plea had been entered, although he did not contest the charges.

When asked by the judge if he wanted to comment Thursday, Williams said he took full responsibility and apologized to his family before asking Fulton County Superior Court Judge Page Reese Whitaker to let him go home.

“I’m a smart guy. I’m a good guy. I have a really good heart,” Williams told the judge as he stood before her. “I find myself in a lot of things because I was just good or cool, you know, and I understand that you can’t be like that when you reach a certain height because it could end (badly).”

Williams added: “I learned from my mistakes.” He mentioned some of the free concerts he organized and the money he gave to single parents and related charities.

Before handing down the sentence, Whitaker told Williams, “I want you to try to be the solution rather than the problem.”

The case drew sharp criticism for prosecutors’ use of rap lyrics as evidence of the gang’s activities and existence, a move some said was a racist attack on freedom of speech and artistic expression and the latest attack on black art.

Williams told the judge Thursday that he understands how rap music lyrics “can be twisted” and said he understands the impact they can have on people’s minds.

“I promise you, I will 100 percent change this,” Williams said.

Whitaker ordered Williams to stay away from metropolitan Atlanta for two days after his release from custody for the first 10 years of probation. Williams is allowed to return to the Atlanta area for weddings, funerals and graduations, but must leave within 48 hours of those events ending, Whitaker said.

He must return to the area four times a year during each year of probation to give a presentation on gangs and gun violence, the judge said.

Williams must also perform 100 hours of community service during each probationary year and is not allowed to knowingly have any contact with members or associates of any criminal street gang, Whitaker said.

Williams would have faced a maximum prison sentence of 120 years if convicted on all charges.

The case dragged on for months, including multiple motions for a mistrial, the latest of which was filed last week. The jury selection process alone took more than a year.

Three co-defendants in the YSL racketeering case accepted plea agreements this week from the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office.

Rodalius Ryan, known as “Lil Rod,” and co-defendant Marcavious Huey, known as “Qua,” pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges of violating the state’s RICO law.

As part of the conditions, Ryan agreed to a 10-year prison sentence, which was commuted to time served. Other charges, including armed robbery, were dropped as part of the agreement.

Ryan is currently serving a life sentence in a separate murder case. The prison terms will run concurrently, Whitaker said.

As part of the plea deal, Huey pleaded guilty to several charges, including armed robbery. He was sentenced to a total of 25 years in prison, with nine years in prison, nine years suspended and five years probation as part of the agreement.

Quamarvious Nichols, also known as “Qua,” accepted a plea deal Tuesday on the first count of conspiracy to violate the RICO Act. He was sentenced to 20 years, with seven years to be served in custody and the remaining years on probation. In exchange, numerous charges were dropped, including murder.

None of the three people who entered guilty pleas will be required to testify against the remaining defendants, including the main defendant in the case, Young Thug.