2 More Defendants Reach Plea Deals in Young Thug’s RICO Case

Two more defendants accepted plea deals mid-trial Wednesday Young ThugLong-running Georgia gang and racketeering conspiracy investigation. The new agreements mean that Young Thug, born Jeffery Williams, will now be tried alongside only two other defendants: Deamonte “Yak Gotti” Kendrick and Shannon Stillwell – both of whom are accused of killing Donovan Thomas in 2015. the state’s case.

Rodalius Ryan, 20, pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiracy to violate Georgia’s RICO law and was immediately sentenced to 10 years in prison, commuted to time served. He is already serving a life sentence with the possibility of parole for the 2019 murder of Jamari Holmes. Ryan was 15 at the time of Holmes’ death and hoped to eventually be released on appeal, his lawyer said Wednesday. Holmes’ murder listed as an overt act in state records Comprehensive indictment with 65 articles When it was sealed two years ago, it named more than two dozen defendants, including Williams.

Ryan’s lawyer, Leah Abbasi, told the court during the plea hearing: “We categorically and firmly deny that YSL is the criminal and dangerous street gang that has been portrayed during this hearing.” Fulton County Judge Paige Reese Whitaker accepted Ryan’s plea, saying she found “a factual basis” based on court records.

Marquavius ​​Huey, 28, also pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiracy to violate Georgia’s RICO law, as well as several other crimes, including robbery, which was reduced from armed robbery. Under Huey’s agreement, prosecutors agreed to dismiss several charges, including allegations of hijacking and aggravated assault. Judge Whitaker immediately sentenced Huey to 25 years in prison; For this, he was sentenced to nine years of detention, nine years of supervised release and five years of suspension. (Huey has already served two years in prison since his involvement in the YSL case while in custody.) Huey had originally been indicted on 19 counts and was facing the possibility of multiple life sentences. Judge Whitaker called the settlement “extraordinary” and a “great opportunity” to turn his life around.

“I want to apologize to my children, my family and everyone who supported me,” Huey said in court after his sentencing. “I plan to take my time, come back and be a better man.”

Ryan and Huey entered the plea a day after Quamarvation Nichols signed the plea agreement midway through the first trial in what has become the longest trial in Georgia state history. Nichols, 29, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate Georgia’s RICO law. Six other charges, including the murder charge, were dismissed as part of the deal. Judge Whitaker immediately sentenced Nichols to the agreed-upon sentence of 20 years in prison, including seven years of probation and 13 years of supervised release. He was facing a possible life sentence.

Nichols’ attorney, Bruce Harvey, said his client agreed to admit to two “drug incidents” dating back to 2017 and 2018, but nothing more. “We categorically deny and oppose Mr. Nichols’ use of violence,” Harvey told Judge Whitaker. Under the agreement, Nichols is not required to testify against the other defendants or even admit to the “underlying facts” of the indictment, which alleges the defendants are part of a violent street gang called YSL. Harvey said the two drug charges were “sufficient” to “meet the elements of the crime” that Nichols pleaded to.

Nichols was accused of murdering Shymel Drinks, an alleged partner of rival Atlanta rapper YFN Lucci, in 2022. Co-defendant Shannon Stillwell, who is currently on trial along with Young Thug and two others, faces a murder charge in connection with Drinks’ death.

Huey and Nichols seemed to have the most clout last round of defense negotiations These stemmed from an evidence accident last week. After the crash, Judge Whitaker signaled that he was considering ordering a trial without prejudice, which would mean prosecutors could rehear the case. In the Oct. 23 evidence leak, rapper Wunnie “SlimeLife Shawty” Lee, a former defendant who previously took a plea deal, read aloud to the jury part of an Instagram post that needed to be redacted. The redaction was a tag that said “Free Qua”. As soon as Lee read the hashtag, there was an audible reaction in the courtroom. Live broadcast provided by Law and Crime.

Nichols’ defense immediately called for a trial with prejudice, saying extravagant testimony could lead jurors to assume that Nichols had previously spent time in custody. Prosecutors objected to a mistrial, saying it was unclear to whom the “Qua” in the hashtag referred. Both Nichols and Huey use “Qua” as an alias, so Huey’s team joined the motion for mistrial on the same grounds, arguing that it could be harmful.

“We’re not going to be able to ring this bell,” argued Nicole Westmoreland, an attorney on Nichols’ team. Judge Whitaker, He scolded prosecutors last month Regarding a different witness’ alleged mistreatment, he said he considered the crash “sloppy” but ultimately it was a “mistake”. If he grants a mistrial, he said, it would be without prejudice. Another option, he said, is for prosecutors to prepare a jury instruction that would make clear that the hashtag is not related to any of the defendants. Prosecutors said they weren’t sure.

“What I’m trying to do is correct your sloppiness so that everybody doesn’t waste 10, 12 months of their life on this trial,” Judge Whitaker responded. After sentencing Nichols on Tuesday, Judge Whitaker adjourned the hearing for the day without further argument. The abrupt ending appeared to return the case to the state of limbo that began last week. It soon became clear that defense negotiations were continuing.

Williams pleaded not guilty to the eight charges brought against him within the scope of the indictment. The charges include conspiracy to violate Georgia’s RICO law, participation in a street gang, drug possession and possession of a machine gun. He was not charged with any of the three murders named in the indictment. Prosecutors allege he founded and operated YSL, also known as Young Slime Life. Meanwhile, Williams says YSL has a record label called Young Stoner Life and that he doesn’t even know some of the 28 defendants named in the indictment.

Williams has been in prison with consecutive judges since May 2022. refuse to give him bail. Of the 27 others originally charged, nine took plea deals before the current trial began, and the other 12 will be tried separately. Prosecutors dropped the case against a defendant convicted of murder in an unrelated case.

Douglas Weinstein, one of Kendrick’s lawyers, posted a video on social media after Nichols’ defense on Tuesday. “Today you saw Mr. Nichols defend himself in the YSL case. Frankly, Mr. Kendrick did not object,” Weinstein said. “We will continue to fight for his life. We will continue to ensure that the State pursues its case beyond a reasonable doubt.”