Young Thug Pleads Guilty to Gang, Drug, and Gun Charges

Young Thug pleads guilty to gang, drug, and gun charges on Thursday and will be released from jail. Here's the latest.

Rapper Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, pleaded guilty on Thursday to gang, drug, and gun charges, and will be released from jail. But the 33-year-old could end up there again, should he violate the terms of his sentence.

The plea comes two and a half years later Young Thug's arrestand almost a year after the prosecution began presenting evidence against him. The trial has been wrought with problems, with jury selection taking nearly 10 months after beginning in January last year. Dozens of witnesses have been called since opening statements began in November 2023.

Williams entered his plea without reaching a deal with prosecutors after negotiations between the two parties, said lead prosecutor Adriane Love. Therefore, the sentence was left entirely up to Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker.

The rapper pleaded guilty to one gang charge, three drug charges, and two gun charges. He entered a no contest plea to another gang charge and a racketeering conspiracy chargewhich means he decided not to contest the charges but can be punished for them as if he had pleaded guilty.

He was sentenced to 40 years with the first five to be served in prison but commuted to time served, with 15 years probation. Should Williams complete his probation without any violations, another 20 years will be commuted to time served. However, if he violates the conditions of his probation, he will have to serve those 20 years in addition to any penalty for a violation.

Further, he must stay away from the metro Atlanta area for the first 10 years of his probation, except to attend weddings, funerals, graduations, or serious illness of family members. That said, he has been ordered to return to Atlanta four times a year during his probation to make a live, anti-gang, anti-gun violence presentation at a school or a community organization serving children. This can count towards his 100 hours of community service which he has been ordered to perform each year.

Williams must also submit to random drug screens and cannot possess a gun. He is also not allowed to associate with gang members or with the victims or other defendants in the case, except his brother and the rapper Gunna, with whom he has contractual obligations.

The rapper's attorney, Brian Steel, said the defense “vehemently disagreed” with many of the statements made by the prosecution, and that it was offensive that the state allowed the use of Young Thug's lyrics against him horse trial.

“But he told me, 'I can't wait another three months if there is any possibility I could go home, because I have children who are hurting. I have things to do,'” said Steel, who had told his client they could go through a jury verdict as he felt they were winning the trial.

It was Young Thug charged two years ago in a massive indictment that accused him and over two dozen others of conspiring to violate Georgia's anti-racketeering law, as well as gang, drug, and gun charges. Three of his co-defendants pleaded guilty this week after reaching deals with prosecutors, while nine others accepted plea deals before the trial began.