Rapper Young Thug changed his plea to guilty today (Oct. 31) as part of what has become the longest criminal trial in Georgia history and, if approved by a judge, could lead to his release from jail, according to reports.
The 33-year-old artist, whose real name is Jeffery Lamar Williams, was indicted in 2022 under the state’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations statute for allegedly leading the street gang YSL (Young Slime Life). The gang’s members have been accused of a variety of crimes, including murder, drug dealing and robbery.
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Three co-defendants accepted plea deals earlier this week on racketeering conspiracy charges and were sentenced to probation and time served. One of the men, Rodalius Ryan, will remain in jail after a 2019 life sentence for murder.
The case initially had 27 co-defendants, with Young Thug’s own livestreamed trial beginning in January 2023 with jury selection. Opening statements did not take place until last November. The original judge, Ural Glanville, recused himself this summer following allegations of misconduct by Young Thug’s attorneys.
Last week, the case appeared on the brink of a mistrial after a prosecution witness accidentally read an unredacted document out loud in front of the jury.
Young Thug, who has been in jail since his May 2022 arrest, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with his first two albums, 2019’s So Much Fun and 2021’s Punk. He shared in the 2019 Song of the Year Grammy for co-writing Childish Gambino’s “This Is America.”
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