Rapper Young Thug to Be Released From Jail After Pleading Guilty

Young Thug’s nearly-year-long criminal trial is coming to a surprising end. The Atlanta-born rapper is set to be released from jail after pleading guilty in the RICO case against him.

Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, was indicted in May 2022 along with 28 other individuals associated with Young Stoner Life Records under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Prosecutors alleged that YSL functions as a criminal street gang while simultaneously operating as a hip-hop music record label.

The trial initially got underway on Nov. 27, 2023 — and has become the longest-running criminal trial in Georgia — but the end is now in sight. On Thursday, Oct. 31, the 33-year-old artist changed his plea in the RICO case to guilty and no contest on several gang, gun, and drug charges, according to NPR. Notably, ahead of the hearing on Thursday, three of Williams’ co-defendants also pleaded guilty in deals with the prosecution.

Prosecutors asked for Williams to be handed down a 45-year sentence, which broke down to 25 years in prison and 20 years on probation. However, Fulton County Judge Paige Reese Whitaker delivered a sentence that allows for the rapper to go free immediately. “The total sentence is 40 years, to serve the first 5 years in prison but commuted to the time you’ve already served,” Judge Whitaker stated during the proceedings.

Williams — who has been in custody for over two years — will serve 15 years of probation, with the risk of being sent to prison for 20 years if he violates the terms of his probation.

The rapper is also not allowed in the metro Atlanta area for the first decade of his probation. There are exceptions to this guideline, including if Williams returns to the city to make a live anti-gang and anti-violence public presentation to children at a school or community organization. He will be expected to do this multiple times a year.