Young Thug will be released from jail more than two years after his arrest on Rico charges.
The Atlanta rapper took a plea deal on Thursday, October 31, paving the way for his release from a Fulton County jail and thus ending the longest-running trial in Georgia’s history. Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, pleaded guilty to violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and leading a criminal street gang.
Thugger was among 28 people arrested in May 2022 following a Rico indictment on members of his YSL outfit. The rapper pleaded not guilty to the charges following his arrest but has now changed his plea to guilty in a non-negotiated plea. Young Thug was initially conflicted in taking the plea after his attorneys and prosecutors could not agree on certain terms of his plea agreement.
Prosecutors recommended a 25-year prison sentence with 20 years of probation, which would see the rap star serving decades behind bars. Judge Paige Reese Whitaker handed down a lengthy probation sentence, but not what prosecutors were expecting. Some may even say the judge was lenient on Thug, considering he took a non-negotiated plea agreement. The sentence amounts to 40 years in total, but will not see the rapper serving any more time behind bars unless he violates the 15-year probation term.
Young Thug was sentenced to 5 years in prison but was given time served, which means he will be released from jail once all the documents are signed. There is an additional 20-year sentence, which will kick in on the backside of his 15-year probation. However, if he doesn’t get in any more trouble or violate his probation, that part of his sentence will be commuted.
Prosecutors also pushed for Thugger to steer clear of all gang members, meaning all of his co-defendants, but his lawyer Brian Steel requested that he be allowed contact with Sergio “Gunna” Kitchens and Quantavious “Unfoonk” Grier so that he could continue his rap careers with them.
In a statement to WSBTV’s Michael Seiden, Thug’s girlfriend, Mariah The Scientist, says everyone is grateful for the outcome of today’s court session.
“Thank you God, thank you God,” the R&B singer said. “This is more than what we prayed for. We are so grateful, this is the greatest opportunity we’ve ever been presented with and we are so grateful. Thank you Judge Paige Whitaker for giving us the opportunity to move forward with our life! Thank you God. Thank you Brian Steel and Keith Adams and every attorney working on this case, tireless. THANK YOU! I cannot say it enough, I cannot repay you for this. You have changed our lives, Jeffery’s life and mine. Thank you to everyone who has been there for us, every fan, who believed in us and prayed for us.”
“Thank you God!” she said in a post on her Instagram Story.
