Young thug rapper He pleaded guilty Thursday to gang, drug and weapons charges.
Prosecutor Adrian Love said the 33-year-old Grammy Award-winning artist, whose real name is Jeffrey Williams, entered his pleas without reaching an agreement with prosecutors after negotiations between the two sides broke down. This leaves the ruling entirely up to the judge.
Young thug He pleaded guilty to one gang charge, three drug charges and two firearms charges. He also entered a no contest plea to another gang charge and a racketeering conspiracy charge, meaning he has decided not to contest those charges and is accepting punishment for them.
The judge was listening to Love and defense attorney Brian Steele before making the sentencing decision.
Young Thug, a very successful rapper, started his own record label, Young Stoner Life or YSL. Prosecutors said he also co-founded a violent criminal street gang and that YSL stood for Young Slime Life.
Photo by Michael Tullberg/Getty Images
he He was charged two years ago In a sprawling indictment accusing him and more than two dozen other people of conspiring to violate Georgia’s anti-racketeering law. He was also charged with gang, drug and firearms crimes.
Young Thug’s plea comes nearly a year after prosecutors began presenting evidence in the problematic trial. Jury selection for the court in Atlanta began in January 2023 It took almost 10 months. The trial of six defendants began with opening arguments last November, and the prosecution has since summoned dozens of witnesses.
Three other defendants pleaded guilty this week after reaching agreements with prosecutors. The pleas leave the fates of two other defendants yet to be decided.
Nine people charged in the indictment accepted plea deals before the trial began. Twelve others are being tried separately. The prosecution dropped charges against one of the defendants after convicting him of murder in a separate case.