ysl trial

What Charges Will Young Thug Face During His Trial?

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young thug denied bond
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Next week, the State of Georgia v. Jeffery Lamar Williams (better known professionally as Young Thug) and YSL Enterprises, Inc. (or Young Stoner Life Records) RICO trial will begin. With each day that passes, more details about the case emerge, including Williams’ alleged witness list.

In May 2022, Williams and 29 other associates were indicted on 56 counts of criminal acts under the state’s RICO Act. However, now that several co-defendants have accepted plea deals, including fellow rapper and label signee Gunna, fans wondered what that would mean for Williams. He was not offered a plea deal and was denied bond several times ahead of the trial, in which the state has tabbed “around 300 witnesses.” The defense is expected to call several prominent figures in the music world.

Williams’ charges are as follows:

  • one count of conspiracy to violate Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act,
  • possession of a firearm while committing a felony,
  • possession of a machine gun,
  • two counts of participating in criminal street activity,
  • three counts of violating the Georgia Controlled Substances Act,
  • and one charge of street racing.

Young Thug’s trial for his RICO case is scheduled for Monday, January 9, 2023. The trial is expected to run for as long as six months.

Some of the artists mentioned are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Young Thug’s YSL RICO Witness List Includes Lyor Cohen, Kevin Liles, And Killer Mike

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Young Thug 2021 Revolt Summit
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The State of Georgia v. Jeffery Lamar Williams (better known as Young Thug) and YSL Enterprises, Inc. (or Young Stoner Life Records) RICO trial is nearly underway. While representatives for Fulton County claim to have over 300 witnesses ready to testify to the rapper’s allegation of criminal activities, Young Thug has prepared a list to refute their testimony.

Thanks to Michael Seiden, a WSBTV reporter, Williams’ witness list was shared on Twitter. The list is much shorter than the prosecutor’s list, only including 28 people with a caveat that anyone named by the state of Georgia as a witness will be asked to speak on Williams’ behalf.

A few notable names appearing on the entertainer’s witness list include music executives Lyor Cohen and Kevin Liles, the co-founders of 300 Entertainment, the record label to which Williams is signed, as well as social activist/fellow rapper Killer Mike. Other industry professionals on the list include Sony Music executive Kelechi Aharanwa, and YSL’s co-founder Walter Murphy is also listed as a potential witness for Williams despite having accepted a plea deal.

Based on this list, as Williams fights the 56-count indictment, his legal strategy will rely on negating his public persona, as his father (Jeffery Williams Sr.) and ex-girlfriend (Jerrika Karlae Hauser) appear on the list as potential character witnesses.

While rapper Gunna’s lawyer insists he will not testify against Williams’ the conditions of his plea deal may have contingencies should the trial not go the way the prospectors expect. The same goes for Antonio “Mount Tounk” Sledge and Williams’ older brother Quantavious “Unfoonk” Grier, who were both Williams’ co-defendants before accepting a plea deal.

Young Thug’s trial for his RICO case is currently set to take place on Monday, January 9, 2023, and could potentially go on for more than six months.

Some of the artists mentioned are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Walter Murphy Pleads Guilty In YSL RICO Case As Gunna Is Released And Young Thug Appears In Court

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Gunna Young Thug DS4ever January 2022
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Gunna was seen smiling as he was released from Fulton County Jail in Atlanta on Wednesday, December 14, after pleading guilty to one charge of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced And Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. On Tuesday, December 13, it was reported that Young Thug had been hit with a charge of street racing, on top of the charges he already faces as part of a 56-count grand jury indictment brought against him, Gunna and 26 other YSL members in May.

Semi-lost in this week’s developments surrounding Gunna and Young Thug is The Atlanta Journal-Constitution‘s report that alleged YSL co-founder Walter Murphy also pled guilty ahead of next month’s YSL RICO trial, which is expected to call “around 300 witnesses” to testify.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution cited court documents and relayed that Murphy “was sentenced to 10 years, with one year commuted to time served and nine years of probation” as a result of his plea deal. Murphy will also be required to perform 300 hours of community service. “A special condition of probation is that Murphy ‘testify truthfully in any further trial as it may become necessary re: State of Georgia and the other individuals’ named in the indictment,” the publication relayed.

That last bit starkly contrasts Gunna’s statement upon entering his Alford plea. The DS4EVER rapper said, in part, that he has “NOT agreed to testify or be a witness for or against any party in the case and have absolutely NO intention of being involved in the trial process in any way.”

Gunna was sentenced to five years with one served in prison, with his one-year sentence commuted to time served and the remaining four years suspended but “subject to special conditions including 500 hours of community service,” per WSB-TV.

Young Thug, meanwhile, remains incarcerated. He made his first court appearance since Gunna’s release and seemed to be in good spirits, grinning and wearing a suit.

Jury selection for YSL’s RICO trial is scheduled for January 4, and the trial is scheduled to begin on January 9.

Gunna and Young Thug are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.