On Wednesday, January 4, the charges against Atlanta rapper Jeffrey Williams (also known as Young Thug) were confirmed in court documents as the first day of jury selection in the trial began in Fulton County, Georgia.
The YSL Rico case involves a total of 65 counts that have been brought against Young Thug and other members of YSL, who are accused by prosecutors of being part of a criminal street gang affiliated with the Bloods. This gang is alleged to have committed a series of violent crimes in the Atlanta area, including murder and armed robbery.
Young Thug is facing eight charges, including conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and two counts of participation in criminal street gang activity. These charges were filed in May of 2022 when the rapper was originally indicted.
In addition to the charges mentioned previously, Young Thug has also been charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of codeine with intent to distribute, possession of cocaine, possession of a firearm, and possession of a machine gun. These drug and gun charges were filed in August and are based on items that were seized during a police search of the rapper’s home in Buckhead, Atlanta. At the time of his May arrest, Young Thug was one of 28 YSL members who were taken into custody in the Rico case, but that number has since decreased to 14.
Several defendants in the YSL Rico case have accepted plea deals in recent weeks, including Gunna, who was released from jail last month after pleading guilty to a single racketeering charge. Despite maintaining his innocence, Young Thug’s defense may be made more difficult due to these plea deals, which could be used as evidence against him.
As part of his plea deal in December, Antonio Monctunk Sledge admitted in court that YSL members were responsible for the 2015 murder of Donovan Thomas and that he and other YSL associates were paid by Young Thug to stay out of sight after the killing.
Antonio Monctunk Sledge, who has been sentenced to 15 years probation after pleading guilty to conspiracy to violate the Rico Act and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, has also agreed to testify at the trial if necessary.
A number of high profile hip hop figures are also on the list of witnesses for the state in the YSL Rico case, including Lil Wayne, Birdman, and YFN Lucci. Birdman has been implicated along with Young Thug in the 2015 shooting of Lil Wayne’s tour bus, while Thugger is accused of ordering the jail stabbing of YFN Lucci last March.
The defense’s witness list in the YSL Rico case includes fellow Atlanta rapper Killer Mike, veteran hip hop executives Leor Cohen and Kevin Lyles (who have been instrumental in Young Thug’s rise to fame), and several hip hop experts and authors.
The trial in the YSL Rico case is expected to be a high-profile one and is anticipated to last for at least nine months, according to law and crime reporter Kathy Ruston. The trial is scheduled to run through September 2023. It is not clear at this time how the case will proceed for Young Thug, who is facing eight charges in the case.
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