Under an appalling number of charges, 56 indictments, and a RICO case, Young Thug (Jeffery Lamar Williams) among others under the YSL record label were arrested in May of 2022. Held in prison, and denied bond on multiple occasions it seemed like Young Thug, one of the most successful, popular, and influential rappers of the 2010s would never see freedom again. But on Halloween, October 31st, of this year, Young Thug was released, against all odds, on probation. So how did he do it?
The court case lasted nearly 2 years, addressed 27 codefendants among 727 possible witnesses and accomplices, after all they were addressing an alleged gang association. The courts aimed to pin Young Thug as the head of a vast criminal enterprise operating out of Atlanta, Georgia. Young Stoner Life, or YSL as it was known, was claimed to be a subset of the Bloods, a national gang known for its extreme violence. Young Thug was being charged as the leader of this gang responsible for countless crimes including murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, witness intimidation, and mass drug dealing.
The most serious defect within the trial was the struggles and mishandling of the case by the prosecutors. The main witness was YSL Woody (Kenneth Copeland), a member of the alleged Young Stoner Life gang. This is where the problems for the prosecution began. Woody struggled to answer questions clearly, if at all. In the initial questioning, when asked how old he was he rescinded with “Grown” and when asked to clarify he responded with “Im an adult.” It was clear early on that Woody would be an issue.
Then it came out that the judge along with the prosecutors held a secret meeting with Woody. When placed on trial Woody was given a series of statements to make to help the prosecutors. During the Trial Woody had immunity, meaning he was not held accountable to the statement she made, so he admitted to making up lots of information he had given the court in an attempt to prove Young Thug Guilty. With that much of the argument made by the prosecution began to crumble, statements were proved false, evidence was disqualified, and it began to look better for Young Thug.
The Prosecution also received much backlash from attempting to use lyrics from Young Thug songs to prove his guilt. In trial prosecutors attempted to use his song “Lifestyle by Rich Gang ft. Young Thug” However the judge acclaimed it needed to be introduced as evidence to a “more relevant witness.” Defendants of Young Thug claim prosecutors are trying to criminalize Young Thugs art form, and Lifestyle.
After a long trial Young thug pled guilty to gun, drug and gang charges following a lengthy negotiation with the prosecutors. He has been placed on probation for 15 years instead of being sent the jail. The rules of his probation are as follows. Random drug tests and property searches, a 10 year ban from entering Atlanta (with the exception of funerals, weddings, and graduations), and quarterly anti-violence and anti-gang school lectures. But for Young Thug there is no price for freedom.
