Young Thug's trial: He pleads guilty to gang, drug and weapons charges

ATLANTA – Rapper Young Thug pleaded guilty to gang, drug and weapons charges in Atlanta on Thursday.

The 33-year-old Grammy-winning artist, whose real name is Jeffery Lamar Williams, filed his lawsuit without reaching a deal with prosecutors after negotiations between the two sides failed, said lead prosecutor Adriane Love. The verdict therefore remains entirely up to the judge.

Young Thug pleaded guilty to one gang-related charge, three drug charges and two firearm charges. He also entered a no-contest plea to another count of gang violence and racketeering conspiracy, meaning he decided not to contest those charges and accepted punishment for them.

The judge listened to Love and defense attorney Brian Steel before making a sentencing decision.

Love explained to the judge the evidence she would have presented to prove Young Thug's guilt, including some of his rap lyrics. She asked the judge to sentence him to 45 years in prison, with 25 years in prison and the remaining 20 years on probation.

Steel said the evidence against his client was weak and accused prosecutors of misrepresenting and hiding evidence and said Young Thug had been “falsely accused.” Steel said he told his client he believed they would win the trial and should get a jury verdict.

“But he told me, 'I can't wait another three months if there's even a chance of going home because I have children who are unwell.' “I have things to do,” Steel said.

Young Thug, a hugely successful rapper, founded his own record label, Young Stoner Life or YSL. Prosecutors said he was also a co-founder of a violent criminal street gang and that YSL stood for Young Slime Life, the gang's name.

Two years ago, he was indicted in a sweeping indictment that accused him and more than two dozen others of conspiring to violate Georgia's anti-racketeering law, or RICO. He was also accused of gang, drug and gun crime.

The rapper entered his plea nearly a year after prosecutors began presenting evidence. Since then, the high-profile trial has experienced several disruptions and delays, including a juror's identity being revealed online, a knife attack on a defendant in the Fulton County Jail and several changes in the composition of the judge overseeing the trial. The trial of six defendants began with opening statements last November, and prosecutors have called dozens of witnesses since then.

With his pleas, Williams joins three co-defendants who pleaded guilty this week after making deals with prosecutors. The fate of two other co-defendants remains unclear.

Nine of those charged in the indictment accepted plea agreements before the trial began. Twelve more are being negotiated separately. Prosecutors dropped charges against a defendant after he was convicted of murder in an unrelated case.

Atlanta native Young Thug began his hip-hop career in 2010. Known for the hits “Best Friend” and “Floyd Mayweather,” Young Thug helped boost Atlanta's rap scene by earning Grammy nominations and MTV Video Music Awards and performed at high-profile events such as the BET Awards and the Coachella Music Festival.

Despite being imprisoned in Georgia since his arrest in 2022, Young Thug has continued to release music, including the 2023 album “Business Is Business” and recent songs with rap artists Ye (formerly Kanye West), Ty Dolla Sign and 21 Savage.

Times staff writer Alexandra Del Rosario contributed to this report. Brumback writes for the Associated Press.