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    • Rapper Young Thug pleads guilty to gang, drug and weapons charges
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    Rapper Young Thug pleads guilty to gang, drug and weapons charges

    Sakege Posted on

    Kate Brumback
    | Associated Press

    atlanta – Rapper Young Thug pleaded guilty Thursday in Atlanta to gang, drug and weapons charges and will be released from jail, although he could be put back behind bars if he violates the terms of his sentence.

    The Grammy-winning artist, 33, whose given name is Jeffery Williams, pleaded guilty without reaching a deal with prosecutors after negotiations between the two sides failed, said lead prosecutor Adriane Love. That left sentencing entirely in the hands of Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker.

    Young Thug pleaded guilty to one gang charge, three drug charges and two weapons charges. He also pleaded no contest to another gang charge and a racketeering conspiracy charge, meaning he decided not to contest those charges but can be punished for them as if he had pleaded guilty.

    The judge imposed a sentence of 40 years, with the first five to be served in prison but commuted for time served, followed by 15 years on probation. If he successfully completes that probation without any violations, another 20 years will be commuted to time served. But if you violate the conditions, you will have to serve those 20 years.

    Young Thug must stay away from the Atlanta metro area for the first 10 years of his probation, except for weddings, funerals, graduations or serious illnesses of family members, the judge said.

    But he also ordered him to return to the Atlanta area four times a year during his probation to make a live anti-gang and gun violence presentation at a school or community organization that serves children. She said that can count toward the 100 hours of community service she ordered him to perform each year during his probation period.

    Love had explained to the judge the evidence he would have presented to prove Young Thug’s guilt, including some of his rap lyrics. He asked the judge to sentence him to 45 years, 25 years in prison and the remaining 20 years of probation.

    The rapper’s lead attorney, Brian Steel, said they “vehemently disagree” with many of the statements Love made and said it was “offensive” that the state was using Young Thug’s lyrics against him.

    Steel said the evidence against his client is weak and accused prosecutors of distorting and concealing evidence, saying Young Thug was “falsely accused.” Steel said he told his client he thought they were winning the trial and that they should reach a jury verdict.

    “But he told me: ‘I can’t wait another three months if there is any possibility of returning home because I have children who are suffering. I have things to do,’” Steel said.

    Steel asked the judge to impose a sentence of 45 years with five years in prison commuted to time served and 40 years of probation.

    A wildly successful rapper, Young Thug founded his own record label, Young Stoner Life or YSL. Prosecutors have said he also co-founded a violent criminal street gang and that YSL stands for Young Slime Life.

    He was charged two years ago in a sprawling indictment that accused him and more than two dozen others of conspiring to violate Georgia’s racketeering law. He was also charged with gang, drug and weapons offenses.

    Young Thug’s statement comes nearly a year after prosecutors began presenting evidence in a trial plagued by problems. Jury selection at the Atlanta courthouse began in January 2023 and lasted nearly 10 months. The trial of six defendants began with opening statements last November, and prosecutors have since called dozens of witnesses.

    Three of his co-defendants had already pleaded guilty this week after reaching deals with prosecutors. The statements still leave the fate of two other co-accused undecided.

    Nine people charged in the indictment accepted plea deals before the trial began. Twelve others are being tried separately. Prosecutors dropped charges against a defendant after he was convicted of murder in an unrelated case.

    Sakege
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