Rapper Young Thug Accepts Plea Deal in Lengthy Extortion Trial

CNN
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Young Thug has agreed to a guilty plea in a deal that will end the Grammy-winning rapper's racketeering trial – the longest trial in Georgia history.

Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, entered into a non-negotiated guilty plea deal with the Fulton County District Attorney's Office on Thursday on several charges – including firearms possession and engaging in street gang criminal activity – while pleading no contest to racketeering and racketeering criminal street gang – a sudden conclusion to a dramatic and tumultuous trial involving three different judges, the stabbing of a co-defendant in prison and an alleged drug transaction in court.

In 2022, Williams was indicted along with more than two dozen others under Georgia's sweeping Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act – known as RICO.

Defense attorneys have accused Williams of abusing the racketeering law.

Prosecutors accused the rapper of leading a criminal street gang that committed murders and a series of violent crimes in Atlanta.

The case had dragged on for months, including multiple motions for a mistrial, most recently last week. The jury selection process alone took over a year.

Three co-defendants in the YSL racketeering trial accepted plea agreements from the Fulton County District Attorney's Office this week.

Rodalius Ryan, known as “Lil Rod,” and co-defendant Marquavious Huey, known as “Qua,” pleaded guilty Wednesday to violating the state's RICO law.

As part of the conditions, Ryan accepted a 10-year prison sentence, which was commuted to time served. Other counts of the charge, including armed robbery, were dropped as part of the agreement.

Ryan is currently serving a life sentence for a separate murder case. The sentences will run concurrently, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker said.

As part of his plea deal, Huey admitted to several counts of guilt, including armed robbery. As part of the agreement, he was sentenced to a total of 25 years in prison, including nine years in custody, nine years suspended and five years on probation.

Quamarvious Nichols, also known as “Qua,” accepted a plea deal Tuesday on Count 1, conspiracy to violate the RICO Act. He received a negotiated sentence of 20 years, including seven years in custody and the remaining years on probation. In return, several charges, including murder, were dismissed.

None of the three people who pleaded guilty are required to testify against the remaining co-defendants, including the case's main target, Young Thug.

This is a developing story and will be updated.