Young Bandit.
Photo: Arvin Temkar/TNS via ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

Young Thug is returning home from prison after entering a non-negotiated plea in his RICO case against his record label YSL. The rapper, born Jeffery Williams, pleaded no contest to the RICO charge and the gang leadership charge, while pleading guilty to various firearms and drug charges as well as one count of participating in criminal gang activity. He was sentenced to five years in prison with various conditions, which was commuted to time served. Below are the latest developments about him. defense And punishment.

31 October 17:22: Young Thug entered a non-negotiated defense long-running RICO trial against the record label YSL. In addition to participating in criminal gang activities, the rapper also pleaded guilty to various firearms and drug charges. Thug pleaded no contest to the leadership charge of conspiracy to violate the RICO Act and criminal participation in criminal gang activities. His non-negotiated plea means both the state and his attorneys can recommend separate sentences, with Judge Paige Reese Whitaker deciding the sentence. Adriane Love, assistant district attorney for Fulton County, Georgia, recommended a sentence of 45 years in prison, with 25 in custody and 20 on probation. Thug’s lawyers have not yet made sentencing recommendations.

The bandit’s plea came after drama in an Atlanta courtroom. When court came back on the afternoon of October 31, Judge Whitaker said he realized Thug’s team was at an “impasse” with the state. He then asked if she wanted to enter a non-negotiated plea. The bandit looked uncertain. Whitaker then took a break for Thug to consult with his lawyers. When the court returned about a half hour later, Thug was ready to make his non-negotiated plea.

Young Thug was on trial along with five defendants in the longest criminal case in Georgia history. Three of these defendants – Quamarvation Nichols, Marquavius ​​Huey and Rodalius Ryan – made plea deals earlier this week. Another defendant, Yak Gotti, turned down a new plea deal today, according to his attorney, Doug Weinstein. “Yak Gotti rejected the state’s final plea offer and intends to take it to the jury, get our not guilty verdicts, and go home,” Weinstein said. he told Atlanta’s WSB-TV. Final co-defendant Shannon Stilwell also turned down the plea deal. Law and Crime reported.

31 October 19:00: Judge Paige Reese Whitaker sentenced Young Thug to 40 years in prison, commuted to five years in prison, and allowed the rapper to be released from prison for the first time in more than two years. The bandit will be sentenced to 15 years of supervised release, followed by a “reinstated” 20-year sentence. The restored sentence will be suspended if he does not violate the terms of probation. As part of probation, Thug must leave the Atlanta metro area and cannot return for ten years except for family weddings, graduations, and funerals. He is also required to return four times a year to give an anti-gang and anti-violence presentation, including a benefit concert for children. He is not allowed to associate with known gang members or anyone named in the RICO indictment, except for his brother and Gunna, with whom he is contractually obligated to work.

Whitaker’s sentence largely mirrored the sentence recommended by Thug’s lawyers. During the plea hearing, his attorney Brian Steel vehemently dismissed the state’s case, accusing them of lying and distorting evidence (including Thug’s own words) to make an example of his client. “What the state of Georgia presented to this jury and this courtroom last year was full of lies, and they know it,” Steel said. Steel emphasized that he was waiting for the trial to conclude, but Thug wanted to prioritize returning to his family and taking care of his health. “He told me that every day he wakes up and it’s just another day in HE-blank-blank,” Steel said.

Young Thug also called out Judge Whitaker. Wearing a brown sweater, he apologized, determined to turn his life around after his release. “I’m a smart guy, I’m a good guy, and I have a really good heart, you know,” he said. “I find myself involved in a lot of things because I’m just nice or cool and I realize once you reach a certain height you can’t be like that because it could end badly.” He told Whitaker that he was “the best thing that ever happened to me” for presiding over a fair hearing and hoped that he would never have to see him again “unless it’s at a bar or something in the future.” Thug also expressed his intention to change what he raps about in the future, saying that he’s “older now” and has “more stuff to rap about.”

Announcing his sentence, Whitaker reminded Thug of his impact on children and asked him to be “less a solution to the problem and more.” He also acknowledged that the state “doesn’t seem particularly concerned” that Thug could be dangerous if it were willing to offer him a sentence that translated to time served in his plea deal. Steel said Thug did not agree to the state’s terms, which included him accepting a leadership role in a gang.