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Rapper Young Thug, aka Jeffrey Lamar Williams, changed his stance and pleaded guilty on Thursday, October 31, 2024. As a part of this plea deal, he was released on house arrest. This trial has become the longest one in Georgia's history, as reported by several publications like ABC News & NBC News.
The case began with Young Thug reportedly getting arrested back in May 2022. He along with his 27 associates were then charged with conspiracy to violate the Rico Act. The Grammy winner had been behind bars for about 900 days since the time he was detained on gang-related charges, as per BBC.
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According to the latest jail records, Young Thug got sentenced to time served along with 15 years of probation. Thug spoke in the court and said:
"I take full responsibility for my crimes, for my charges. To really everybody that has got something to do with this situation, I want to say sorry."
While the prosecutors recommended a sentencing of 45 years, the negotiations did not succeed. This led to Superior Court Judge Paige Whitaker finally decide upon the 33-year-old rapper's punishment.
Young Thug's father Jeffrey Williams Sr. gave his insights into the rapper's plea deal. Jeffrey said:
"I feel great that he's going home, but at the same token, I still wanted him to fight but that's his decision. That's his decision. You know?"
Young Thug's trial that began in January last year was not initially expected to last this long
As aforementioned, Young Thug was finally freed from prison after about more than 2 years since his arrest. The release came as a part of his plea deal, in which Thug pleaded nolo contendere to gang-related and Rico Act violation charges.
The trial, which began in January 2023, was initially expected to last six to nine months but faced delays due to the high number of defendants. By November, many defendants had either accepted plea deals or opted for separate trials from Young Thug, according to NBC News.
Shannon Stillwell, one of the defendants, was reportedly stabbed in December 2023, which led to further delay in the case. Shannon and Thug were two of six individuals who maintained their innocence from the beginning. Amid the trial, the rapper remained in the jail.
Young Thug's terms of release
In the trial, people witnessed prosecutors using YSL rap lyrics as evidence of violence. This didn't sit right with many, who further bashed this step. The prosecutors claimed that several associates from YSL aka Young Stoner Life were related to gang-related violence.
As for the conditions of Young Thug's latest plea deal and release, the judge ordered a list of them to be abided by. Thug has been disallowed from contacting any of the former co-defendants or gang members.
He is also ordered about 100 hours of community service and is prohibited from entering the metropolitan Atlanta area, for the first ten years of his total probation period. The rapper is also expected to host anti-gang and anti-gun presentations four times a year.
