Latest news with #JefferyWilliams
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Judge Approves Return of Young Thug's Seized Property After YSL Trial
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A judge ordered that possessions seized from Young Thug during the YSL trial be returned, allowing the rapper to regain several vehicles, cash and assorted jewelry. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Whitaker on Monday ruled in favor of a defense motion regarding the items, which included $149,426 in cash, a 2022 Chevrolet Corvette, 2022 Porsche 911 and 2018 Lamborghini Aventador. The state can appeal the ruling. Why It Matters Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, and 27 others were indicted in 2022 on charges related to racketeering conspiracy and participation in criminal street gang activity, along with drug and gun violations. Prosecutors alleged that the defendants were associated with the gang YSL, or Young Slime Life. Young Thug performs during the Summer Smash Music Festival on June 22, 2025, in Bridgeview, Illinois. Young Thug performs during the Summer Smash Music Festival on June 22, 2025, in Bridgeview, Illinois. Photo by Rob Grabowski/Invision/AP What To Know Prior to the hearing, Williams' lawyers filed a motion to dismiss the forfeiture complaint related to the seized property. The lawyers claimed in the motion obtained by FOX 5 Atlanta that prosecutors failed to hold a hearing within 60 days of a court order lifting a stay on the forfeiture proceedings. Prosecutors argued in a response that Williams' lawyers had requested a continuance of a hearing in May and did not oppose the new date until the filing of the motion to dismiss. In October 2024, Williams pleaded guilty to most charges but pleaded no contest to conspiracy to violate the RICO Act and participation in criminal street gang activity. His plea deal ended his part of the YSL trial, which began in November 2023. He was sentenced to five years in prison commuted to time served and 15 years' probation, followed by 20 years in prison, and released. The backloaded prison sentence will be commuted if Williams complies with the terms of his probation. What People Are Saying Fulton County Deputy District Attorney Jeff DiSantis, in a statement sent to FOX 5 Atlanta: "While we are gratified that the defendant will not be receiving gang-related jewelry back, we are perplexed that Judge Whitaker dismissed the case based on a timeline requested by defense counsel and a date the court set for trial." Leigh Ann Webster, attorney for Jeffery Williams, on X: "Done & done! We got all of his stuff back. But to be clear, even if we had gotten to the merits, we should have won that too. It was such a thrill to work with Brian Steel on this, the best lawyer around. A true honor that he let me join the team." What Happens Next DiSantis said the Fulton County District Attorney's Office is "evaluating the case now for possible appeal considering that strange procedural history." Do you have a story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@
Toronto Sun
04-06-2025
- Toronto Sun
Long-running Young Thug gang trial to end without any murder convictions
Published Jun 04, 2025 • Last updated 0 minutes ago • 4 minute read Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, apears for a hearing, Dec. 22, 2022, in Atlanta. Photo by Arvin Temkar / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. ATLANTA — Three years after Atlanta rapper Young Thug and 27 others were indicted on gang and racketeering charges, followed by a long, problem-plagued trial, nobody will be convicted of murder. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account When Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis announced the indictment in May 2022, she said her office was cracking down on a violent street gang responsible for multiple killings run by Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams. But Willis dropped the only remaining murder charge Monday after defendant Demise McMullen pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of aggravated assault. Young Thug went home Oct. 31 after pleading guilty to gang, drug and gun charges and remains on probation. Prosecutors alleged that Young Thug and two others founded the street gang Young Slime Life, which was associated with the Bloods street gang, in 2012. The 33-year-old artist has a record label called Young Stoner Life, which prosecutors alleged was tied to Young Slime Life. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Prosecutors drew ire for using song lyrics and social media posts in their case. Attorney Doug Weinstein, who represented defendant Deamonte Kendrick, who raps under the name Yak Gotti, said prosecutors targeted men who pursued music as a way out of hardship in economically 'deprived' Atlanta areas and tried to 'claw them back in, hold them back down.' 'Whatever they may have done in their youth, and I would argue most of them didn't do anything, to be targeted in this way by the prosecutors is just wrong,' said Weinstein. 'Whatever you think of their music — the violence, the misogynistic lyrics — that is not a reason to go after these guys.' Weinstein continued, adding, 'People like my client, Mr. Kendrick, had to be incarcerated for 2 1/2 years or more, in the case of some of these defendants, for a crime that they didn't do.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Kendrick was stabbed in jail. He was one of two defendants who didn't take plea deals, and the only one cleared of all charges, including a murder charge in the 2015 drive-by shooting death of rival gang member Donovan Thomas Jr., known as 'Big Nut.' In a statement to The Associated Press, Willis spokesperson Jeff DiSantis said 'anti-gang efforts' have yielded 'over 400 convictions of gang members' since Willis became district attorney, including 19 people in this case. Those efforts were 'key' in making Fulton County 'safer, taking dangerous offenders off the streets and sending a message that gang activity will not be tolerated in our community,' he said. Willis prosecuted the case using Georgia's broad anti-racketeering law. Critics say using that law caused a messy trial by roping in dozens of people with varying levels of alleged culpability. The anti-racketeering law allows prosecutors to present evidence that might otherwise not be allowed, which some defence attorneys say lets prosecutors present irrelevant material to the jury. It also often leads to people being held in jail longer for multiple reasons. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'It made everything so much more complicated and cumbersome,' said Max Schardt, defence attorney for defendant Shannon Stillwell. No 'home run' Stillwell was among five codefendants who stood trial alongside Young Thug beginning in November 2023. After Young Thug and the others entered guilty pleas, Stillwell and Kendrick were the only ones who took their chances with a jury. They were found not guilty of racketeering, murder and gang-related charges in December. Stillwell was found guilty only of gun possession. The verdict came nearly two years after jury selection began. Nine other defendants, including the rapper Gunna, accepted plea deals before the trial began. Prosecutors dropped charges against one defendant after he was convicted of murder in an unrelated case. Twelve defendants were split from the original trial, and charges against six of them were dismissed in early December. Another recently got a murder charge dismissed after entering an Alford plea, which allows him to maintain his innocence while acknowledging that it is in his best interest to plead guilty. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. McMullen, who was also charged with murder in Thomas' killing, entered an Alford plea to a lesser aggravated assault charge and another count of violating the anti-racketeering law. A judge in this case sentenced him to 40 years, with 20 to be served in confinement at the same time as the sentence he's already serving, and 20 suspended for time served. That leaves one remaining defendant who is accused of shooting and wounding an Atlanta police officer in February 2022 while on probation. His fate is expected to be determined soon. Atlanta defence attorney Andrew Fleischman, who was not involved in the case, said Willis could have secured guilty pleas years ago without a long, expensive trial if she hadn't used the anti-racketeering law. 'She went for a home run, and she didn't get it,' said Fleischman. Celebrity Columnists Toronto & GTA Canada Canada
