Young Thug was sentenced to 15 years of probation and no prison time after pleading guilty in the long-running criminal case accusing him of leading a violent Atlanta street gang, a stunning end to a legal saga that rocked the music industry.
After days of closed-door negotiations with Fulton County prosecutors, Thug (Jeffery Williams) on Thursday (October 31) refused to take a deal that would have sent him home immediately. Instead, he opted for a no-deal guilty plea, leaving his fate in the hands of the judge Paige Reese Whittaker.
The move paid off: Later Thursday, Whitaker sentenced Thug to just 15 years of probation with no time served in prison, meaning he will be released Thursday after serving more than two years. In doing so, he urged the Grammy-winning rapper to use his platform to set a good example for the youth in the future.
“I know you're talented and if you choose to continue rapping you should try to use your influence to let kids know that it's not the right way and that there are ways to get out of poverty other than hooking up with the powerful guys in the side of the road selling drugs,” Whittaker said.
Thug's guilty plea marks a major turning point in a criminal case that has captivated the music industry for more than two years. Pitting prosecutors in America's rap capital against one of hip-hop's biggest stars, the YSL case has raised big questions – about the fairness of the criminal justice system. about violent personas in modern hip-hop. and about prosecutors using rap lyrics as evidence.
Standing before a judge in a tense hearing Thursday, Thug pleaded guilty to several charges, including drug and firearms possession, and pleaded no contest to several others, including key racketeering charges alleging he was a criminal gang leader.
Without the negotiated plea deal, prosecutors recommended a much harsher sentence than they had offered: 45 years in prison, with 25 to be served and 20 years suspended. The criminal's lawyer, Brian Steelehe then offered an extended rebuttal to the state's allegations and asked for leniency. Finally, Thug himself spoke out, saying he took “full responsibility for my crimes” and begged the judge to see that he has a “good heart.”
“I just hope you find it in your heart to allow me to go home and be with my family and just do better as a person,” the artist told the judge.
After handing down her sentence, the judge gave Thug a quick warning before adjourning for the day: “Good luck to you. And there better be no violations, but if there are, you will come back to see me.''
“Yes ma'am,” Thug said.
Thursday's guilty plea came days after the trial fell into disarray over the false testimony of a state witness, sparking talk of a miscarriage of justice. Since then, prosecutors and the defendants have struck a series of deals rather than risk starting over in the trial, which has already spanned 10 months of jury selection and 11 months of testimony to become the longest in state history.
Thug, a leading rapper 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 label that stands for “Young Stoner Life” — was also a violent gang called “Young Slime Life” that had wreaked “havoc” in the Atlanta area for nearly a decade. .
The case, which was based on Georgia's Racketeer and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), alleged that YSL had committed murders, carjackings, drug trafficking and many other crimes. And prosecutors alleged Thug was “King Slime,” acting as a crime boss amid his rise to fame. “It doesn't matter what your reputation is, what your reputation is,” Fulton County Atty Fanny Willis he said then. “We will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”
Thug has strongly denied the allegations and has long maintained his innocence. On the opening day of the trial, Steel's lawyer argued that despite a tough local upbringing, Thug “doesn't even know most of the people on this indictment” and had no reason to run a criminal organization.
From the beginning, the YSL affair has been beset by delays. Beginning in January 2023, it took an unprecedented 10-month process just to select a jury. After the trial itself began in November 2023, prosecutors waded through a massive witness list that included a staggering 737 names. There was also a prison stabbing of a defendant, as well as a strange episode in a secret meeting with a witness that resulted in the presiding judge being removed from the case.
While the slow trial dragged on, Thug sat in jail for more than two years, repeatedly denied bail for fear he might intimidate witnesses.
Although Thug is now back home, the YSL affair is far from over.
Attorneys for co-defendants Deamonte “Yak Gotti” Kendrick and Shannon Stillwell said their clients had declined to enter a plea Thursday, meaning they will continue to face trial and move toward a final verdict. Kendrick and Stilwell are accused of killing rival gang leader Donovan Thomas in 2015, a crime that figures prominently in the prosecution's case.
