Rapper Young Thug arrested in Atlanta on charges of criminal street gang activity
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Authorities arrested rapper Young Thug on Monday and charged him with two gang-related charges, officials said.
They arrested him as part of a 56-figure jury trial in Georgia that hit 28 members of the Young Stoner Life Records label, which Young Thug founded, WSB-TV reported.
Young Thug, a 30-year-old Atlanta-based rapper born Jeffery Lamar Williams, is reportedly accused of conspiring to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and for alleged participation in street gang activity.
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Rapper Young Thug speaks on stage at the 2021 REVOLT Summit at 787 Windsor on November 13, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia.
(Photo: Paras Griffin / Getty Images)
The charges stemmed from various incidents, with the RICO Act charge coming from an incident in 2013 and the gang-related activity charge coming from 2018, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
The accomplice and YSL member Gunna were also arrested and face one charge of conspiring to violate RICO, court documents showed.
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Prosecutors in the indictment claimed that YSL was collaborating with the Bloods gang and highlighted several gang-related incidents spanning years and involving criminal acts, the AJC reported.
AUSTIN, TEXAS – MARCH 17: Young Thug performs on stage at the ‘Samsung Galaxy + Billboard’ during the 2022 SXSW Conference and Waterloo Park Festival on March 17, 2022 in Austin, Texas.
(Photo by Amy E. Price / Getty Images for SXSW)
One such incident included Young Thugs renting a car and ordering a rival gang member, prosecutors alleged in the indictment.
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Williams’ defense attorney, Brian Steel, said the rapper will dispute the charges.
“I will tell you the answer to every claim; Mr. Williams committed no crime at all and we will fight to my last drop of blood to cleanse him,” Steel told WSB-TV.
Young Thug is a Grammy-winning rapper who has a huge influence on the Atlanta area. He has also built up a national fan base and regularly brushes his shoulders with other popular names, including recent vocal appearances with Cardi B and Elton John.
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The rapper has a criminal record, which includes an arrest in 2016 for an outstanding arrest warrant for failure to appear in court, an arrest in 2017 for drug charges, including possession of meth, hydrocodone and marijuana, Fox 5 from Atlanta reported.
He was imprisoned in Fulton County.