Young Thug is facing eight counts in the upcoming racketeering trial set for next week. Prosecutors on Wednesday revealed that of the 65 charges on the indictment, the rapper is facing eight counts, but despite some counts being dropped, he is facing very serious charges.
In the original YSL indictment released by prosecutors mid-last year, Young Thug was only facing two counts of 56 counts. However, on Wednesday, prosecutors revealed that the Slatt rapper is now facing eight counts, and the indictment has been expanded to 65 counts.
The charges Young Thug is facing are Conspiracy to Violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (count 1), two counts of participation in criminal street gang activity (counts 56 & 57), possession of marijuana w/intent to distribute (count 58), possession of codeine w/intent to distribute (count 59), possession of cocaine (count 60), possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony (count 61) and possession of machine gun (count 62).
Judge Ural Glanville read out the charges against Young Thug on Wednesday.
“Jeffrey Williams [Thug] and Atlanta-based hip-hop artists made YSL a well-known name by referring to it in his songs and on social media. YSL uses a variety of identifiers including colors, clothing, tattoos, hand signs, as well as verbal and written identifiers,” the judge read.
“YSL claims affiliation with the national Bloods gang and some associates also claim the Blood subset gangs, Sex, Money, Murder or 30d. YSL associates often display their colors by wearing a green or red bandana on their person, a practice known as flagging,” the judge further read.
While some social media users reacted with the hope that the rapper was only facing eight counts, the charges he is facing are serious and carry hefty jail time if convicted.
In count 56, for example, prosecutors allege that Young Thug “between the 12th day of May 2018, and the 8th day of May 2022, while occupying a position of organizer, supervisor, or other position of management or leadership of the criminal street gang YSL did engage in, directly or indirectly, or conspire to engage in any one of the following acts of criminal street gang activity of YSL, to wit: murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, armed robbery, hijacking a motor vehicle, sale of marijuana, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, theft by receiving a firearm and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.”
CT 58: Possesion of Marijuana w/intent to distribute
Ct. 59: Poss of Codeine w/intent to distribute
Ct. 60: Poss of Cocaine
Ct. 61: Poss of Firearm
Ct. 62: Poss of Machine Gun pic.twitter.com/vtqZ3mCNLD— Cathy Russon (@cathyrusson) January 4, 2023
In the meantime, jury selection got underway on Wednesday, with the state and defense attorneys combing through hundreds of jurors. Selection will continue on Thursday with an expected 200 jurors reporting for duty. The process is expected to take a few weeks as the attorneys for the 14 defendants and the prosecution comb through potential jurors.
In the meantime, Wednesday’s session was not without controversy as the attorney for Tenquarius Mender called out the judge after he said people tend to “snitch” on one another while warning the potential jurors not to discuss the case.
While addressing the potential jurors, judge Glanville told the potential members of the panel that it would be a violation to discuss the case, and if they didn’t follow the rules, he’d find out.
“Now you’re probably saying he’ll never know…Oh, I’ll find out because people tend to snitch on one another,” he said.
When the attorney representing Mender spoke up, the judge said, “I didn’t ask you all for your comments… that’s very unprofessional.”
Judge Ural Glanville presiding over Young Thug's YSL Rico trial warns jury people tend to "snitch" pic.twitter.com/KVgjpmm7Dt
— Urban Islandz (@urbanislandz) January 5, 2023
Eight YSL Co-Defendants Took Plea Deals including Gunna
The snitch remark is a sensitive point for the trial as eight defendants took guilty plea deals for suspended sentences and probation, which has led to many referring to them as “snitches,” a street term for informers.
While all members who took deals denied snitches allegations, at least one member has agreed to testified in the trial. Others say they will plea the 5th if asked to testify.
