US rapper Young Thug was released from jail on Thursday evening after pleading guilty to charges related to gang activity, drugs, and firearms, marking a dramatic turn in the longest criminal trial in Georgia’s history.
The 33-year-old Grammy Award winner, born Jeffery Lamar Williams, had spent over 900 days in custody since his arrest on racketeering and gang-related charges.
In May 2022, prosecutors claimed that the rap label he created acted as a front for an organised crime ring responsible for “75 to 80% of violent crime” in Atlanta.
On Thursday, he was sentenced to time served and 15 years of probation, and jail records show he was released later that evening.
“I take full responsibility for my crimes, for my charges,” Mr Williams told the court.
“To really everybody that has got something to do with this situation, I want to say sorry.”
In a five-minute speech, he described himself as “a good guy with a good heart” who found himself “in a lot of stuff because I was just nice or cool”.
“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 had planned to recommend a sentence of 45 years, including 25 in custody and 20 on probation.
However, the plea discussions were fruitless, so Superior Court Judge Paige Whitaker determined his penalty, reducing his sentence to the time he had previously served, opening the path for his release.
“I want you to try to be more of the solution and less of the problem,” Judge Whitaker instructed him.
As part of the deal, Mr. Williams pleaded guilty to one gang charge, three drug counts, and two weapons charges.
He also entered a no-contest plea to leading a gang and violating the state’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, indicating that he would not contest those charges and accepts the associated penalties.
Judge Whitaker imposed additional requirements, including 100 hours of community service, a prohibition on contact with gang members or former co-defendants, and a restriction on remaining in the metropolitan Atlanta area during the first 10 years of his 15-year probation period, except for special circumstances such as weddings, funerals, and the mandatory anti-gang and anti-gun presentations he is required to conduct four times a year.
Thursday’s change of plea concluded a multi-defendant case that faced numerous delays, courtroom disturbances, and motions for mistrial.
When he was arrested in May 2022, prosecutors charged Mr. Williams and 27 associates from his rap label, Young Stoner Life (YSL) Records, with conspiracy to violate the RICO Act, a law commonly used in mafia prosecutions.
Prosecutors argued that YSL actually represented a criminal gang called Young Slime Life and connected the defendants—including fellow rap superstar Gunna—to various felony offenses, including murder, armed robbery, and carjacking in Atlanta.
The indictment sparked significant outrage due to the prosecutors’ use of YSL’s rap lyrics as evidence of the gang’s activities and criminal intent. Critics argued that these charges infringed on the rappers’ freedom of speech and represented a growing attack on a black-dominated art form.
Many of Mr. Williams’s co-defendants accepted plea deals or had their cases separated, with one even having charges dropped following an unrelated murder conviction. By the time the trial began, only six defendants remained.
Jury selection commenced in January 2023 and lasted nearly 10 months.
In July of this year, the trial was suspended indefinitely after Mr. Williams’s legal team requested that a previous judge recuse himself due to allegations of misconduct.
The lawyers accused Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville of holding an “improper” meeting on June 10, where he allegedly met privately with prosecutors and a key witness.
They claimed that Judge Glanville sought to exert pressure on the witness to testify, leading the defense attorneys to press for his recusal, a motion that the judge ultimately denied.
Additionally, Mr. Williams’s lead attorney, Brian Steel, was found in criminal contempt in June after refusing to disclose how he learned of the meeting.
The trial also saw a number of unusual incidents, including the arrest of a Fulton County deputy for allegedly attempting to smuggle contraband to a defendant.
In another instance, the court’s Zoom account was hacked into by an apparent supporter of Mr Williams who yelled “free Thug!”.
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.