Young Thug's criminal trial was recently completed, with the rapper to be released without prison time with a charge of 15 years on probation. Following the announcement of the verdict of the case, Kevin Liles, the co-founder of 300 Entertainment, which is the parent label of Thug's YSL Records label imprint, reacted to the rapper's release with a general press statement on his official Instagram page on November 1, 2024:
"On God, Words can’t express the incredible happiness and relief I feel to learn of Jeffery’s freedom. There will be a time to discuss the criminalization of hip-hop lyrics and the use of bond denial as a weapon against defendants, but in this moment everyone should feel nothing but joy that this amazing artist -"
The singer continued:
"-and even better man can hug his children, parents, siblings, and other loved ones tonight. We must always remember artists aren’t fictional characters on stage. They’re human beings first. God bless Jeffery and his family. #familybusiness @thuggerthugger1 @youngstonerliferecords."
Young Thug was indicted for a RICO case
Young Thug, alongside 27 others of the YSL Records label, was arrested by law enforcement in 2022 under charges that they had conspired to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and street gang laws of Georgia.
The charges date back to 2013 and 2018, respectively, and were leveled against Thug, Sergio “Gunna” Kitchens, Arnold “Lil Duke” Martinez, Quantavious “Unfoonk” Grier, and many more.
The case was led by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who led the 56-count indictment, later updated to 65-count. The main argument of the case was that YSL was not a record label as much as a street gang known as Young Slime Life, which is affiliated with the national-level Bloods gang.
The 65-count charges ranged from murder, including that of Donovan “Big Nut” Thomas Jr. in 2015. Donovan was alleged to be a member of a rival gang to the YSL, which led to his murder.
Other charges included assault, robbery, theft, illegal gun possession, illegal drug possession, and sales, among others. Young Thug was accused of being the leader of this alleged gang.
Young Thug took a plea deal following negotiations with the Fulton County prosecutors, with the rapper stating ahead of his indictment:
"I take full responsibility for my crimes, for my charges. To really everybody that has got something to do with this situation, I want to say sorry. And I understand that you can't be that way when you reach a certain height because it could end bad... and it could fall on you."
The rapper added:
"I know what I bring to the table and I know what I am. I know the heights I’ve reached and I know the impact I’ve got on people in the community."
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The verdict against Young Thug consists of guilty verdicts on one drug charge, three gang charges, and two gun charges. The rapper was sentenced to 100 hours of community service and was banned from contacting former gang members or co-defendants.
He was also banned from being in Atlanta jurisdiction for the next 10 years except under special circumstances. These special circumstances are weddings, funerals, and the four anti-gang and anti-gun presentations he is required to hold annually for the duration of his sentence.
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