Young Thug’s Atlanta Trial: Indictment, Plea Deal, and Probation

Jeffery Lamar Williams, the Atlanta rapper known as Young Thug, ended his Atlanta trial on October 31, 2024, by taking a plea deal that commuted his prison time to time served, placed him on 15 years of probation, and banned him from the Atlanta metropolitan area for the first 10 years of that probation. The case, prosecuted by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis under Georgia’s RICO Act, became the longest criminal trial in Georgia history and ended without a single murder conviction from the original 28-person indictment.

What Prosecutors Charged

A Fulton County grand jury returned a 56-count indictment in August 2022 naming Williams and 27 co-defendants. The charges covered alleged conduct from January 2012 to April 2022 and included conspiracy to violate Georgia’s RICO Act, murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault, drug trafficking, and firearms offenses.¹ Prosecutors alleged that YSL was not merely the Young Stoner Life record label Williams and his associates ran, but a Blood-affiliated street gang called Young Slime Life that used music and social media to further a criminal enterprise.²

Georgia’s state RICO statute, originally modeled on the federal law aimed at Mafia-style organizations, has increasingly been applied to alleged street gangs, letting prosecutors bundle years of disparate crimes into a single case against an entire enterprise.³ Williams was accused of co-founding and leading the alleged gang.

Rap Lyrics in the Indictment

The indictment included 17 sets of rap lyrics as alleged “overt acts” in furtherance of the conspiracy. One line cited as evidence of gang activity was “ready for war like I’m Russia.”⁴ DA Fani Willis defended the approach directly: “If you decide to admit your crimes over a beat, I’m gonna use it.”⁵

The practice has a long paper trail. Research cited in legal scholarship found that rap lyrics have been used in criminal cases at least 700 times since 1991, while only four known instances of lyrics from other genres being used have been documented since the 1950s, all tossed out or overturned. Studies have also shown that juries tend to perceive the same lyrics as more literal, autobiographical, and offensive when they are labeled rap.⁴ Trial judge Ural Glanville ruled that the First Amendment did not restrict the use of lyrics as evidence in the case.

How the Trial Unraveled

Jury selection began on January 4, 2023, and took ten months. Opening statements did not start until November 27, 2023.⁶ Originally projected to last six to nine months, the trial stretched across nearly three years.⁷

The proceedings were marked by repeated disruption. A co-defendant was stabbed in jail. A deputy was accused of a romantic relationship with a defendant and smuggling contraband. An attorney was arrested for having prescription drugs in court. Prosecutors surveilled a prospective juror for over a month. A Zoom hearing was hacked.⁶

The Ex Parte Meeting and a New Judge

On June 10, 2024, Judge Glanville held a private meeting in his chambers with prosecutors, state witness Kenneth Copeland (known as “Lil Woody”), and Copeland’s attorney. None of the defendants or their lawyers were told about the meeting or invited.⁸ Copeland had refused to testify days earlier and had been held in contempt; prosecutors said the meeting concerned his contempt status, while defense attorneys called it an improper attempt to pressure the witness.

When Williams’s attorney Brian Steel learned of the meeting and demanded a mistrial, Judge Glanville ordered him to reveal his source. Steel refused, invoking attorney-client privilege. The judge held him in contempt and sentenced him to 20 days in Fulton County Jail, to be served over 10 weekends.⁹ The Georgia Supreme Court granted Steel an emergency stay two days later, and in October 2024 reversed the contempt finding entirely, ruling that because the punishment was delayed and the judge was personally “involved in the controversy,” due process required a different judge to handle the contempt proceedings.¹⁰

On July 15, 2024, Judge Rachel Krause granted a defense motion to remove Judge Glanville, writing that the “necessity of preserving the public’s confidence in the judicial system” required his recusal.¹¹ After a brief handoff to Judge Shukura Ingram, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker took over.¹²

The Star Witness Recants

Copeland eventually testified under Judge Whitaker in August 2024 and told the jury he had lied about “almost everything” he told detectives in 2015 to “stay out of jail,” claiming officers had told him they wanted a “big fish” and he was a “little fish.”¹³ He peppered his answers with “I don’t recall.” Judge Whitaker instructed the jury to disregard portions of his testimony and any evidence presented after 3 p.m. on June 12, 2024, the date tied to the ex parte controversy.

The Plea Deal and Its Terms

On October 31, 2024, Williams pleaded guilty to three counts of violating Georgia’s Controlled Substances Act and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. He entered no-contest pleas to participation in gang activity and violating the RICO Act.¹⁴

The sentence totaled 40 years and was structured in layers. The first five years of prison time were commuted to time served, crediting the roughly 900 days Williams had spent in custody since his May 2022 arrest.¹⁵¹⁶¹⁷

The probation conditions are strict. Williams is barred from the Atlanta metropolitan area, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, for the first 10 years of his probation. Exceptions are limited to funerals, weddings, graduations, and medical emergencies involving immediate family, with visits capped at 72 hours.¹⁸ He was given 48 hours after release to leave. He must make four annual anti-gang and anti-gun violence presentations at Atlanta-area schools or organizations, counted toward a 100-hour yearly community service requirement. Other conditions include random drug testing, searches of his property and electronics, no contact with co-defendants (with exceptions for his brother and the rapper Gunna, due to contractual obligations), and bans on gang activity, gang signs, illegal drugs, and firearm ownership.¹⁹

Judge Whitaker later softened the Atlanta ban: if Williams commits no probation violations in his first three years, he may return to his Atlanta home for up to two weeks at a time, up to four times per year, with visits taken non-consecutively.²⁰

What Happened to the Other Defendants

Of the 28 people originally indicted, most resolved their cases through pleas. The best-known co-defendant, Sergio Kitchens (the rapper Gunna), entered an Alford plea on December 14, 2022, more than a year before opening statements. He was sentenced to five years, with one commuted to time served and the remaining four suspended, subject to 500 hours of community service, and was released from jail the same day. In a public statement, he emphasized he had not cooperated with prosecutors and had “absolutely NO intention of being involved in the trial process in any way.”²¹

Three more co-defendants negotiated pleas in the final days of the trial: Quamarvious Nichols on October 29, 2024, and Marquavius Huey and Rodalius Ryan on October 30, 2024.²²

The last two defendants, Deamonte Kendrick (the rapper Yak Gotti) and Shannon Stillwell, rejected plea offers and let the jury decide. On December 3, 2024, both were acquitted of murder. Kendrick was found not guilty on all counts, including murder, criminal street gang activity, and RICO conspiracy. Stillwell was acquitted of murder, a second murder charge, gang activity, and RICO conspiracy, but convicted on one count of felony gun possession, and Judge Whitaker sentenced him to 10 years of probation with credit for time served.²³²² The case closed with no murder convictions from the original 28-person indictment.²⁴

What Has Happened Since

An Attempted Probation Revocation

In April 2025, DA Willis moved to revoke Williams’s probation and send him back to prison over a social media post. Prosecutors cited an X post in which Williams shared an image of Marissa Viverito, an Atlanta Police Department investigator involved in the trial, with the caption “Biggest liar in the DA office.” Prosecutors said the post amplified a blogger’s violation of a court order protecting the investigator’s anonymity, which they argued led to public disclosure of her home address and her parents’ home address. On April 3, 2025, Judge Whitaker declined to revoke the probation, ruling the posts did not violate its terms while noting Williams should “exercise restraint regarding certain topics.”²⁵

Return of Seized Property

When Williams was arrested in 2022, authorities seized luxury vehicles, jewelry, and more than $149,000 in cash from his home. Steel argued the state had failed to hold a required civil forfeiture hearing within the statutory 60-day limit. In August 2025, Judge Whitaker agreed and ordered the DA’s office to return the property.²⁶ Prosecutors evaluated an appeal but failed to order a required transcript, and in January 2026 Judge Whitaker dismissed the appeal. She found the DA’s office had caused an “unreasonable and inexcusable” delay exceeding 90 days, had misled the court about the reasons for the delay, and had prejudiced Williams. She ordered the property returned by 5 p.m. on January 9, 2026, and specified that “no further appeal can delay the return of the seized items.”²⁷ The returned items included a 2022 Chevrolet Corvette, a 2022 Porsche 911, three Mercedes-Benzes, a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee, a 2018 Lamborghini, a Can-Am Spyder, jewelry, and the cash. Weapons seized during the investigation were excluded per the plea agreement.¹⁹ Steel confirmed the DA’s office met the deadline.²⁸

Judge Whitaker’s Election Loss

In the May 2026 Georgia primaries, Nikia Smith Sellers, a senior assistant district attorney in Willis’s office, defeated Judge Whitaker for her Superior Court seat by 101,323 to 97,974. Sellers’ campaign was reportedly supported by colleagues in the DA’s office who were frustrated by Whitaker’s handling of cases, including the YSL proceedings. Governor Brian Kemp later appointed Whitaker to the Georgia Court of Appeals.²⁹

Williams Back at Work

Williams walked out of Fulton County Jail on the night of October 31, 2024. He has called the 10-year Atlanta ban “like abuse” but described feeling at peace, telling an interviewer, “You can worry about the jury’s fate, or you can just go ahead now and go home.”²⁰ As part of his community service, he visited Skyview High School in Atlanta and spoke with students. “I feel like violence is just not the thing. It’s lame, it’s corny,” he told them.³⁰

On September 28, 2025, Williams performed a free, roughly 30-minute concert on the steps of the Fulton County Courthouse, announced four hours beforehand and livestreamed on YouTube and Twitch. He framed it as an anti-violence presentation and thanked Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat for authorizing the event. “This is not a flex,” he said. “This is just the perfect place for me to perform.”³¹³²

1
Courthouse News Service. Young Slime Life Indictment
2
Atlanta News First. Young Thug Judge Loses Reelection Bid to Fulton DA Fani Willis Assistant
3
Syracuse Law Review. Pushin Prison: A Look Into the Case Against Gunna and Young Thug
4
UC Irvine School of Law. IPAT Clinic Director Pens Op-Ed on YSL Case and Rap on Trial Issue
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UNC First Amendment Law Review. The Sound of Government Intrusion Into Artistic Expression
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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Young Thug Trial, Longest in Georgia History, Started One Year Ago Today
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NBC News. Young Thug’s Criminal Trial, Longest in Georgia History
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NPR. Young Thug Judge Recused From YSL RICO Case
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Fox 5 Atlanta. Young Thug Trial: Brian Steel Jail, Georgia Supreme Court Ruling
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Justia. Steel v. The State, S24A1245
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NBC News. Judge Removed From Gang Racketeering Case Involving Young Thug
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WSB-TV. No More Delays: Judge Sets Rules to Streamline YSL RICO Gang Trial
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Fox 5 Atlanta. Young Thug YSL RICO Trial: Jury Returns Under New Judge
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Capital B Atlanta. Young Thug YSL Trial Update
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Rolling Stone. Young Thug’s Plea Deal, Probation, and Social Media
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NBC News. Young Thug Changes Plea to Guilty in Georgia’s Longest-Running Criminal Trial
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The New York Times. Young Thug Probation
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CBS News Atlanta. Judge Orders Georgia to Return Young Thug’s Cars and Money
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Fox 5 Atlanta. Young Thug Discusses Life in Jail and Atlanta Ban
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Rolling Stone. Gunna Plea in YSL Gang Case, Release From Jail
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NBC News. Co-Defendants of Young Thug Acquitted
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The New York Times. YSL Trial Defendants Acquitted
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WABE. Lengthy YSL Case Wraps Up After 3 Years With No Murder Convictions
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Variety. Young Thug Probation Revocation Sought Over Social Media
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Rolling Stone. Young Thug Wins Court Order, Regains Seized Items From YSL Trial
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Fox 5 Atlanta. Georgia Ordered to Return Young Thug’s Cash, Jewelry, and Cars by Friday
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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Fani Willis Office Misled Court, Delayed Young Thug’s Assets, Judge Says
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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Kemp Appoints Fulton Judge to Appeals Court After Her Election Loss
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WRDW. Young Thug Visits Georgia High School as Part of Plea Deal
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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Young Thug Briefly Performs at First Atlanta Concert Since Jail Release
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Billboard. Young Thug Concert at Fulton County Courthouse