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    • Young thug pleads guilty to extortion in trial and is sentenced to probation
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    Young thug pleads guilty to extortion in trial and is sentenced to probation

    Kathleen William Posted on

    Topline

    According to multiple media outlets, rapper Young Thug will be released from prison after agreeing to a plea deal in his long-running racketeering case on Thursday, although he will serve at least 15 years on probation.

    Important facts

    Young Thug, formally known as Jeffery Williams, pleaded guilty to three drug charges, two weapons charges and a gang-related charge.

    Williams also entered a no-contest plea to one count of conspiracy and a separate count of gang violence, potentially facing punishment for the offenses.

    Williams' sentence is a far cry from the sentence prosecutors had originally sought, as the state of Georgia had previously recommended a 45-year sentence, including 25 years in prison and 20 years probation.

    Williams and his defense agreed to the 15-year probation agreement after considering a non-negotiated plea deal earlier Thursday that would have resulted in Georgia Supreme Court Justice Paige Whitaker deciding his sentence, taking into account both sides' recommendations would have decided.

    Williams must also stay away from metro Atlanta for the first 10 years of his probation, give anti-gang presentations to children four times a year and complete 100 hours of community service annually.

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    Surprising fact

    According to NBC News, Williams' extortion case was the longest-running criminal trial in Georgia state history, as jury selection for the trial began in January 2023. The rapper has been imprisoned since May 2022.

    Important background

    Williams is a Grammy-winning rapper and founder of his own record label, Young Stoner Life, which later became the subject of his trial because prosecutors believed it was linked to a criminal gang. Williams was indicted in 2022 along with more than two dozen co-defendants for alleged gang activity. The members of the “Young Slime Life” gang were accused of, among other things, murder, drug trafficking and armed robbery. As of November 2023, six co-defendants remained, many of whom accepted plea agreements or requested to be tried separately before opening statements in the Williams case. Three of Williams' co-defendants also reached plea deals this week, NBC News reported.

    Further reading

    Young Thug Pleads Guilty in YSL Case, Nearly a Year After Trial Begins (The New York Times)

    Young Thug Changes Guilty Plea in Georgia's Longest-Running Criminal Case (NBC)

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    Kathleen William
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