After entering a guilty plea to gang-related charges, Young Thug was released from custody
In a stunning turn of events, the longest criminal trial in Georgia history came to an end Thursday night when US rapper Young Thug was released from prison after entering a guilty plea to gang, drug, and weapons charges.
Born Jeffrey Lamar Williams, the 33-year-old Grammy winner has been incarcerated for over 900 days since his arrest on allegations of gang involvement and racketeering.
Prosecutors claimed in May 2022 that the rap label he established was a front for an organized crime ring that was in charge of "75 to 80% of violent crime" in Atlanta.
According to jail records, he was released later that evening after being sentenced on Thursday to time served and 15 years of probation.
How a rapper was imprisoned for his own lyrics
Born Jeffrey Lamar Williams, the 33-year-old Grammy winner has been incarcerated for over 900 days since his arrest on allegations of gang involvement and racketeering.
Prosecutors claimed in May 2022 that the rap label he established was a front for an organized crime ring that was in charge of "75 to 80% of violent crime" in Atlanta.
According to jail records, he was released later that evening after being sentenced on Thursday to time served and 15 years of probation.
Mr. Williams told the court, "I accept full responsibility for my charges and for my crimes."
"To really everybody that has got something to do with this situation, I want to say sorry."
He characterized himself as "a good guy with a good heart" who ended up "in a lot of stuff because I was just nice or cool" during a five-minute speech.
"And I understand that you can't be that way when you reach a certain height because it could end bad... and it could fall on you."
Prosecutors intended to suggest a 45-year sentence, which would include 20 years on probation and 25 years in jail.
However, once the plea talks failed, Superior Court Judge Paige Whitaker decided to punish him by reducing his sentence to the time he had previously served, which allowed him to be released.
Judge Whitaker advised him to try to be less of a problem and more of a solution.
As part of the deal, Mr Williams pleaded guilty to one gang charge, three drug charges and two gun charges.
He also entered a no-contest plea to leading a gang and violating the state's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (Rico) Act, meaning that he decided not to contest those charges and accepts punishment for them.
During the first 10 years of his 15-year probationary period, Judge Whitaker also mandated 100 hours of community service, prohibited him from interacting with gang members or former co-defendants, and prohibited him from staying in the metropolitan Atlanta area unless there were exceptional circumstances, such as weddings, funerals, or the anti-gang and anti-gun presentations he must give four times a year.
A multi-defendant case that has been beset by several delays, courtroom disruptions, and requests for a mistrial has come to a conclusion with Thursday's change of plea.
When the man known to his fans as "Thugger" was arrested in May 2022, prosecutors charged him and 27 associates at his rap label - Young Stoner Life (YSL) Records - with conspiracy to violate the Rico Act, famously used in mafia prosecutions.
They accused the individuals, including fellow rap sensation Gunna, of a number of felonies, including murder, armed robbery, and carjacking in Atlanta's streets, and said that YSL actually stands for a criminal gang known as Young Slime Life.
However, prosecutors' use of YSL rap lyrics as proof of the gang's behavior and criminal intent in the case caused significant criticism. The accusations, according to critics, were part of a larger attack on a black-dominated art form and infringed upon the rappers' right to free speech.
By the time the trial started, there were only six defendants left after some of Mr. Williams's co-defendants accepted plea agreements, had their cases dismissed, or even had their charges dropped due to an unrelated murder conviction.
Ury selection lasted for about ten months, starting in January 2023.
The trial was placed on indefinite hold in July of this year after Mr. Williams's attorneys requested that a former judge remove himself due to allegations of misconduct.
The attorneys claimed that when Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville met in private with prosecutors and a crucial witness on June 10, it was a "improper" encounter.
They asserted The lawyers urged the witness to recuse himself, and Judge Glanville attempted to coerce him into testifying; the judge rejected both moves.
In June of this year, Brian Steel, Mr. Williams's principal lawyer, was also found in criminal contempt for not disclosing how he learned of the meeting.
The arrest of a Fulton County deputy for allegedly trying to bring contraband to a defendant was one of several oddities that occurred during the trial.
Another incident was a hacker who appeared to be Mr. Williams's supporter and shouted "free Thug!" into the court's Zoom account.
Earlier this week, three of Mr Williams's co-defendants in the case took plea deals.
The remaining two defendants in the case, Shannon Stillwell and Deamonte Kendrick, reportedly plan to move ahead with their trials.
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