Young Thug Pleads Guilty, No Contest to RICO Charge in YSL Trial

Young Thug made a non-negotiated plea in the long-running RICO trial against his record label, YSL. The rapper, born Jeffery Williams, pleaded guilty to various firearm and drug charges, along with one count of participation in criminal gang activity. Thug pleaded nolo contendere, or no contest, to conspiracy to violate the RICO Act and to a leadership charge on criminal participation in criminal gang activity. His non-negotiated plea means both the state and his attorneys can recommend separate sentences, and Judge Paige Reese Whitaker will decide on sentencing. Adriane Love, the chief deputy district attorney for Fulton County, Georgia, recommended a sentence of 45 years, with 25 to be served in custody and 20 on probation. Thug’s attorneys have yet to make their sentencing recommendation.

Thug’s plea followed a moment of drama in the Atlanta courtroom. When court returned late in the afternoon on October 31, Judge Whitaker said she understood Thug’s team was at an “impasse” with the state. She then asked if he wanted to enter a non-negotiated plea. Thug appeared uncertain. Whitaker then called a recess for Thug to consult with his attorneys. When court returned about a half-hour later, Thug was prepared to enter his non-negotiated plea. 

Young Thug was being tried alongside five co-defendants, in what became the longest criminal trial in Georgia history. Three of those co-defendants — Quamarvious Nichols, Marquavius Huey, and Rodalius Ryan — took plea deals earlier this week. Another co-defendant, Yak Gotti, turned down a new plea deal today, according to his attorney, Doug Weinstein. “Yak Gotti has rejected the state’s latest plea offer and fully intends to take this to the jury and get our not guilty verdicts and go home,” Weinstein told Atlanta’s WSB-TV. The final co-defendant, Shannon Stilwell, also turned down a plea deal, Law & Crime reported.

This is a breaking news story. It will be updated.