Rapper pleads guilty in RICO trial

Young Thug, who has been on trial for extortion since November 2023, reportedly pleaded guilty in the long-running case.

The Atlanta-born rap star (real name: Jeffery Lamar Williams) changed his guilty plea after a brief standoff in a Georgia court, NBC News and ABC News report.

“Is it your decision to waive those rights and plead guilty because you are, in fact, guilty?” Superior Court Judge Paige Whitaker asked Young Thug, to which he responded “yes,” according to ABC.

Before changing the plea, Judge Whitaker had asked whether the rapper agreed to a non-negotiated plea deal, meaning prosecutors and the defense could not agree on a sentence and the judge will decide his sentence, according to NBC.

USA TODAY has reached out to Young Thug's representatives for comment.

Young Thug's legal about-face comes after co-defendants Quamarvious Nichols, Rodalius Ryan and Marquavius Huey each pleaded guilty this week, according to Rolling Stone. Nichols was sentenced to 20 years in prison, while Ryan and Huey were sentenced to 10 and 25 years, respectively.

The rapper's trial, the longest in Georgia history, resumed on August 12 after a nearly two-month break and rotating judges. Kenneth “Lil Woody” Copeland, a former Young Thug associate and key prosecution witness, spent several hours on the witness stand.

Copeland reportedly admitted that he blamed Young Thug in interviews with police.

“I knew the police would never mess with him,” he said, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It was easy for me to shift the blame onto him to get it off my chest.”

Why was Young Thug on trial?

On May 9, 2022, Young Thug was arrested as part of a comprehensive investigation into a conspiracy to violate Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, also known as RICO. He was accused of co-founding a violent criminal street gang, Young Slime Life, and after two indictments in May and August 2022, he was charged with racketeering, drug and weapons possession.

Jury selection began in January 2023 and the Grammy-winning rapper's trial began ten months later. The case has suffered multiple delays since November 2023.

Judge Whitaker took over the case after Chief Justice Ural Glanville was dismissed from the case in July and Supreme Court Justice Shakura L. Ingram recused herself days later.

Young Thug initially pleaded not guilty and maintained his innocence. Several of the original 28 defendants, including rapper Gunna, have entered into plea deals since being charged in 2022.

Contributor: KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY

Why was Young Thug on trial?

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