No prison, 15 years probation

Young Thug was sentenced to 15 years probation and no prison time after pleading guilty in the long-running criminal case in which he was accused of leading a violent street gang in Atlanta – a surprise end to a legal saga that rocked the music industry.

After days of closed-door negotiations with the Fulton County District Attorney's Office on Thursday (October 31), Thug (Jeffery Williams) refused to accept a deal that would have sent him home immediately. Instead, he opted for a non-negotiated guilty plea and left his fate up to the judge Paige Reese Whitaker.

The move paid off: Later Thursday, Whitaker sentenced Thug to just 15 years of probation with no time served, meaning he would be released Thursday after more than two years in prison. She called on the Grammy-winning rapper to use his platform to set a good example for young people in the future.

“I know that you are talented and if you decide to continue rapping, you must try to use your influence to make it clear to the children that this is not the right path and that it is out of touch with those in power There are also ways out of poverty. “A guy down the street selling drugs,” Whitaker said.

Thug's guilty plea marks a crucial turning point in a criminal case that has plagued the music industry for more than two years. The YSL case, pitting prosecutors in America's rap capital against one of hip-hop's biggest stars, has raised big questions — about the fairness of the criminal justice system; about violent personalities in modern hip-hop; and about prosecutors using rap lyrics as evidence.

Standing before the judge in a tense hearing on Thursday, Thug pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including possession of drugs and firearms, and claimed he had pleaded no contest to several other charges, including the core racketeering charges who claimed he was the leader of a criminal gang.

Without the negotiated agreement, prosecutors recommended a far harsher sentence than they had offered: a whopping 45 years, with 25 in prison and 20 years on probation. Thug's lawyer, Brian Steeloffered a comprehensive refutation of the state's claims and called for leniency. Finally, Thug himself spoke, saying he takes “full responsibility for my crimes” and imploring the judge to make sure he has “a good heart.”

“I just hope that you find it in your heart to allow me to go home, be with my family and just do better as a human being,” the artist told the judge.

Thursday's guilty plea came days after the trial was thrown into chaos by the botched testimony of a state witness, sparking rumors of a mistrial. Since then, prosecutors and defendants have struck a series of deals rather than risk becoming the longest in state history in a trial that has already spanned 10 months of jury selection and 11 months of witness testimony.

Thug, a chart-topper and producer who helped shape the sound of hip-hop in the 2010s, was arrested in May 2022 along with dozens of others. In a sweeping indictment, prosecutors alleged that his “YSL” – nominally a record label that stands for “Young Stoner Life” – was also a violent gang called “Young Slime Life” that had been “wreaking havoc” in the area for nearly a decade of Atlanta.

The case was based on Georgia's RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) law and alleged that YSL committed murders, car thefts, drug trafficking and many other crimes. And prosecutors claimed Thug was “King Slime” and acted as a crime boss during his rise to fame. “It doesn’t matter what level of notoriety you have, what fame you have,” said the Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said at the time. “We will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”

Thug strongly denied the allegations and long maintained his innocence. On the opening day of the trial, his lawyer argued that despite his difficult local upbringing, Thug “does not even know most of the people in this prosecution” and has no reason to lead a criminal organization.

The YSL case was plagued with delays from the start. As of January 2023, just selecting a jury took an unprecedented ten-month process. After the trial began in November 2023, prosecutors went through a massive list of witnesses that included an impressive 737 names. There was also a stabbing of a defendant in prison and a bizarre episode involving a secret meeting with a witness that led to the presiding judge being removed from the case.

As the sluggish trial dragged on, Thug spent more than two years in prison and was repeatedly bailed out over fears he might intimidate witnesses.

Although Thug is now going home, the YSL case is not yet over.

Attorneys for co-defendants Deamonte “Yak Gotti” Kendrick and Shannon Stillwell said their clients declined plea agreements Thursday, meaning they would continue to stand trial and work toward a final verdict. Kendrick and Stillwell are accused of committing the 2015 murder of rival gang leader Donovan Thomas, a crime that figures prominently in prosecutors' case.