The hotly-anticipated trial of the rapper Young Thug is underway in a courtroom in Atlanta, Georgia, following almost a year of delays.
In May 2022, Young Thug, real name Jeffery Williams, was arrested and charged in a sprawling RICO indictment along with 27 other defendants.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis – who is using the same law to prosecute Donald Trump in his Georgia election interference case – accused the suspects of being part of a criminal street gang named YSL or “Young Slime Life.”
According to prosecutors, the gang is responsible for a series of violent crimes, including murders, shootings, carjackings and racketeering.
Young Thug has denied the accusations and insisted that YSL is simply Young Thug’s record label – Young Stoner Life.
After several defendants took plea deals or had their cases severed, the Grammy Award-winning rapper and five others are finally on trial.
Week two of the trial began Monday after a three-day recess. Court kicked off with a thirty-minute scuffle between the parties about the prosecution’s witness list.
Last week, Young Thug’s lawyer explained the meaning behind several of the rapper’s lyrics – after prosecutors claimed the lyrics are central to the case.
This included claiming the word thug means “truly humble under God”. His courtroom performance has since gone viral on social media.
Key points
16:47 , Kelly Rissman
Sgt Cornelius takes the stand
Jonathan Cornelius, who used to serve on APD, testified on Tuesday. He discussed his involvement in the K9 unit.
He discussed 23 October, 2018 when a dog alerted finding narcotics near a “gray Chevy Sonic” car in a parking lot during an open-air search. The dog was scratching at the driver’s side door handle, Sgt Cornelius said.
That is the same day that the indictment states that Quamvarious Nichols was found with MDMA. Another witness testified about the finding yesterday.
16:30 , Kelly Rissman
Judge asks to speak to someone from Law & Crime
Judge Glanville called up a representative from Law & Crime along with a member of the defence team to speak to him privately.
It’s unclear what they are talking about. The chat comes after the network’s watermark was seen on screenshots circulated online. But an executive producer took to X to clear the network’s name.
“For the record (because I’ve had so many comments) it was not Law&Crime’s camera in the YSL courtroom today,” Cathy Russon wrote. “We had no control over anything that was shown. We took our stream down as soon as we were alerted that some jurors were inadvertently shown.”
16:15 , Kelly Rissman
Young Thug arrives in suit and tie
Mr Williams showed up in court on Tuesday in a dark suit and tie following a social media frenzy over Monday’s outfit: a designer sweater featuring a wolf.
Social media users were speculating whether the rapper had decided to boast the wolf sweater as a jab to the prosecution, who had accused him of being the “head of the pack.” The sweater costs nearly $1,200, according to the maker’s website.
16:00 , Kelly Rissman
The trial is once again starting late
In case you missed it, here’s what happened in the YSL trial yesterday.
The prosecution wanted to tack on more witnesses, which the defence took issue with.
Officer Antonio Skeete, who testified about an allegedly stolen gun taken during a burglary in 2013. Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffrey Williams, is accused of theft by receiving stolen property, according to the indictment.
Officer Wellington Clarke, who testified about his involvemnet in the investigation as a crime scene technician.
Sergeant Carlos Maldonado, who testified about a 2017 traffic stop that led to the arrest of Quamarvious Nichols, another defendant in this case. Mr Maldonado said he found substances suspected to be MDMA and Xanax after searching the vehicle. Mr Maldonado’s appearance as a witness on Monday was initially contested by the defence after they claimed they could not cross-examine him about the subject of his testimony ahead of time.
Sergeant Charles Ross, who testified about his investigations into the social media activity of Mr Nichols and his subsequent arrest of Mr Nichols in 2018. His body camera footage was played in court. Mr Ross also told the court he had knowledge of hand signs and graffiti tags that indicated association with YSL in the zone he patrolled for the Atlanta Police Department.
15:33 , Kelly Rissman
Howls over the wolf sweater
Social media is buzzing over a designer wolf sweater donned by Young Thug at his trial in Georgia – days after prosecutors described him as the head of a wolf pack.
The rapper, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, is in court in Fulton County, Georgia, fighting gang and racketeering charges in connection with what DA Fani Willis and prosecutors say is a violent street gang he co-founded called Young Slime Life (YSL). He and 27 defendants other are facing RICO charges and have each been individually charged with other violations. Mr Williams has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
On Monday, Mr Williams arrived at court wearing an Amiri sweater emblazoned with a wolf, which retails for nearly $1,200.
Viewers sounding off online were quick to question whether the wolf image was meant as a jab at prosecutors, who mentioned the animal in opening statements last week.
Read the full story…
15:00 , Kelly Rissman
ICYMI: A viral moment in the YSL trial
Mr Williams’ laywer told the court that the word “thug” means “truly humble under God”.
“He insisted everybody call him Young Thug… and that fit into the appearance of the gangster rap. But most people think about a thug as a criminal. But to Jeffrey, Thug had a different meaning,” he said.
ICYMI: Who testified on Monday to kick off the second week of Young Thug’s trial?
14:00 , Katie Hawkinson
In case you missed it, here’s the recap of who testified on Monday, kicking off the second week of Young Thug’s trial:
Officer Antonio Skeete, who testified about an allegedly stolen gun taken during a burglary in 2013. Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffrey Williams, is accused of theft by receiving stolen property, according to the indictment.
Officer Wellington Clarke, who testified about his involvemnet in the investigation as a crime scene technician.
Sergeant Carlos Maldonado, who testified about a 2017 traffic stop that led to the arrest of Quamarvious Nichols, another defendant in this case. Mr Maldonado said he found substances suspected to be MDMA and Xanax after searching the vehicle. Mr Maldonado’s appearance as a witness on Monday was initially contested by the defence after they claimed they could not cross-examine him about the subject of his testimony ahead of time.
Sergeant Charles Ross, who testified about his investigations into the social media activity of Mr Nichols and his subsequent arrest of Mr Nichols in 2018. His body camera footage was played in court. Mr Ross also told the court he had knowledge of hand signs and graffiti tags that indicated association with YSL in the zone he patrolled for the Atlanta Police Department.
ICYMI: Prosecution, defense began week two of trial with spat over witness list
13:00 , Katie Hawkinson
Young Thug’s defence team called on Judge Ural Glanville to stop prosecutors from calling certain witnesses. His attorneys claimed they were not given enough time to prepare over the weekend after the prosecution added additional witnesses on Sunday evening.
“Yesterday evening, for God’s sake,” Keith Adams, a member of the defence, said to Judge Ural Glanville.
The prosecution had an original list of 70 and sent a list of 17 additional people on Sunday evening, the defence said.
The prosecution said the defence had enough time and offered to bring certain witnesses to the defence on Monday to give them more time to cross-examine.
Judge Glanville said he was not included on any email exchanges about witnesses after Friday. He warned the prosecution that excluding witnesses would not be out of the question.
“Exclusion would not be a far-reaching remedy for me at this point,” Judge Glanville said. “We’ve spent 30 minutes on this issue that I can’t get back.”
“I don’t want to deal with it again,” he continued.
ICYMI: Young Thug’s court attire on Monday raised questions
12:00 , Katie Hawkinson
The sweater Young Thug wore to court on Monday featured a design of a wolf on the front, which had some questioning whether the outfit choice was an intentional reference to the first day of the trial.
During opening statements last week, the prosecution referenced a wolf and claimed Young Thug is the “head of the pack.” Now, viewers on social media are speculating whether the choice references those comments.
Young Thug’s girlfriend, Mariah the Scientist, told reporter Michael Seiden the choice was “pure coincidence.”
Why is Young Thug on trial?
11:00 , Kelly Rissman
Young Thug and the other YSL members named in the indictment are charged with conspiracy to violate Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
The act is similar to its federal counterpart, which is used to convict large-scale organisations such as the mafia.
According to the indictment, associates of YSL “conspired to associate together and with others for the common purposes of illegally obtaining money and property through a pattern of racketeering activity”.
It claims that YSL members were involved in murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, theft, drug dealing, carjacking, and witness intimidation.
Other activities include “the posting of messages, images, videos and songs, demonstrating allegiance to the enterprise and willingness to engage in violence on its behalf”.
Prosecutors claim they can show that some of the group’s lyrics are related to crimes that they are accused of committing.
Through these activities and more the gang aimed to “preserve, protect, and enhance the reputation, power and territory” of the enterprise, prosecutors said.
ICYMI: Young Thug defence lawyer went viral last week
09:00 , Rachel Sharp
Last week, Young Thug’s lawyer Brian Steel explained the meaning behind several of the rapper’s lyrics – after prosecutors claimed the lyrics are central to the case.
This included claiming the word thug means “truly humble under God”.
“He insisted everybody call him Young Thug… and that fit into the appearance of the gangster rap. But most people think about a thug as a criminal. But to Jeffrey, Thug had a different meaning,” he said.
His courtroom performance has since gone viral on social media.
What to know about YSL as week two of the trial continues
07:00 , Kelly Rissman
YSL is Young Thug’s own record label, Young Slime Life. Artists on his record label are considered part of the “Slime Family,” and a compilation album, “Slime Language 2,” rose to number one on the US charts in April 2021.
Its artists include Gunna and Lil Keed, though several contemporary artists, including Future, Lil Uzi Vert, Playboi Carti, Lil Baby, and Travis Scott have also expressed allegiance to YSL without being contractually signed.
However, according to prosecutors, YSL is actually a “criminal street gang”, which started out in the Cleveland Avenue area of Atlanta and claims affiliation to the national Bloods gang.
According to the 88-page indictment, the members of YSL use “a variety of identifiers including colours, clothing, tattoos, and hand signs” to show their allegiance to the group.
The most predominant colours used by members of YSL are red for Bloods and green for Slime.
Defence attorneys meanwhile insist that YSL is just a music label.
How long was Young Thug incarcerated before the trial began?
05:00 , Kelly Rissman
Young Thug has been in prison since his arrest in May 2022.
Earlier this month, a jury was finally selected after almost one year – with over 2,000 people having been summoned to possibly serve.
The trial, expected to last several months, could end up being the longest in Georgia’s history, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
ICYMI: State called contested witness Sergeant Carlos Maldonado to testify
03:00 , Katie Hawkinson
The prosecution called Sergeant Carlos Maldonado with the Atlanta Police Department to the stand.
He testified about a 2017 traffic stop that led to the arrest of Quamarvious Nichols, a defendant in this case. Mr Maldonado said he found substances suspected to be MDMA and Xanax after searching the vehicle.
Mr Nichols is charged with posession of MDMA with intent to distribute, posession of a firearm by a felon, and participation in criminal street gang activity, according to the indictment.
Mr Maldonado told the defence he did not reference any gang activity in his report and did not arrest Mr Nichols in relation to any gang activity.
When the defence asked if he would have reported gang activity if he observed it, Mr Maldonado said he would have.
Mr Maldonado was one of the contested witnesses in the Monday morning dispute over the witness list.
The defence told Judge Ural Glanville they had the opportunity to cross-examine Mr Maldonado but their conversation did not cover the subject of his testimony today. The defence said they asked the prosecution to interview him again, but they offered a time on short notice during which a member of the defence team was not available.
ICYMI: Officer Morris Kandakai, who had a scuffle with another defendant earlier this year, took the stand
02:00 , Katie Hawkinson
The prosecution called Officer Morris Kandakai to the stand. He worked for the Atlanta Police Department 2012-2015 and currently works for the Fulton County Sheriff’s Department.
He testified about a 15 July 2015 traffic stop involving defendants Trontavious Stephens and Shannon Stillwell. The incident is listed in the indictment. Mr Kandakai told prosecutors he found marijuana, a digital scale, a firearm, and prescribed hydrocodone. He said Mr Stephens attempted to claim the items.
Mr Stillwell’s attorney also cross-examined Mr Kandakai, who said he did not find any gang paraphernalia in the car. Mr Kandakai previously said he was not tasked with investigating gang activity but that he was aware of some activity in the area.
Mr Kandakai was suspended and placed on administrative duties in January following a scuffle with another defendant in this case, Rodalius Ryan, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Juror excused until at least Wednesday due to hospital stay
01:00 , Katie Hawkinson
Judge Ural Glanville announced Monday morning that a juror was admitted to the hospital over the weekend. He excused the juror until Wednesday due to their illness.
Judge Glanville told Young Thug’s lawyers there are alternate jurors so the trial will move forward.
This isn’t the first time the jury has been a matter of discussion in the courtroom. On Wednesday, a media camera mistakenly panned across the jury as a witness made their way to the stand to testify. The footage showed parts of at least two jurors’ faces. Judge Glanville warned the media to be careful, but acknowledged the incident ”wasn’t intentional.”
Your guide to the YSL trial lingo
00:00 , Katie Hawkinson
The first week of the trial was off to a rocky start, plagued by a motion for mistrial, frequent objections, numerous sidebars, and chaos after jurors’ faces were accidentally captured on camera.
As week two begins, things aren’t much better — Monday morning started off with a 30-minute spat between the defence and prosecution regarding the witness list.
But perhaps the most viral moments from the trial so far have consisted of the unusual terminology and references being used.
Here’s a guide to the most important – and perplexing – words and phrases so far:
Young Thug trial resumes with scuffle over YSL case witnesses – live updates
Who testified on Monday, kicking off week two of Young Thug’s trial?
Monday 4 December 2023 23:00 , Katie Hawkinson
In case you missed it, here’s the recap of who testified on Monday, kicking off the second week of Young Thug’s trial:
Officer Antonio Skeete, who testified about an allegedly stolen gun taken during a burglary in 2013. Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffrey Williams, is accused of theft by receiving stolen property, according to the indictment.
Officer Wellington Clarke, who testified about his involvemnet in the investigation as a crime scene technician.
Sergeant Carlos Maldonado, who testified about a 2017 traffic stop that led to the arrest of Quamarvious Nichols, another defendant in this case. Mr Maldonado said he found substances suspected to be MDMA and Xanax after searching the vehicle. Mr Maldonado’s appearance as a witness on Monday was initially contested by the defence after they claimed they could not cross-examine him about the subject of his testimony ahead of time.
Sergeant Charles Ross, who testified about his investigations into the social media activity of Mr Nichols and his subsequent arrest of Mr Nichols in 2018. His body camera footage was played in court. Mr Ross also told the court he had knowledge of hand signs and graffiti tags that indicated association with YSL in the zone he patrolled for the Atlanta Police Department.
Court ends for the day
Monday 4 December 2023 22:24 , Katie Hawkinson
Court proceedings have finished for Monday, 4 December.
Young Thug’s trial is expected to continue Tuesday, 5 December around 10 AM local time.
Sergeant Charles Ross says he knew of signs that indicate YSL association but there were none at scene of arrest
Monday 4 December 2023 21:51 , Katie Hawkinson
Sergeant Charles Ross told the court he had knowledge of hand signs and graffiti tags that indicated association with YSL in the zone he patrolled for the Atlanta Police Department.
When the defence cross-examined him, Mr Ross said none of these signs were present at the scene of Quamarvious Nichols’ 2018 arrest, however.
Mr Ross told prosecutors Mr Nichols had posted the word “slime” on Instagram, which he said he had also seen graffitied.
This is relevant to the prosecution’s claim at the heart of this case that YSL is a violent street gang called Young Slime Life. The defense claims YSL is, instead, just the name of Young Thug’s record label: Young Stoner Life
Sergeant Charles Ross body camera footage played in court
Monday 4 December 2023 21:03 , Katie Hawkinson
Body camera footage from Sergeant Charles Ross’s encounter with co-defendant Quamarvious Nichols in October 2018 is playing in court.
The footage shows Mr Ross and fellow officers detaining — but not arresting — multiple people at the scene. Mr Nichols was the only one arrested.
Mr Ross said he launched an investigation after he saw a video of Mr Nichols holding a bag of apparent marijuana on Instagram earlier in the evening.
He then located and arrested Mr Nichols before searching the vehicles on the scene for marijuana, Mr Ross told the court earlier. Before the footage was played, Mr Ross said he found marijuana, containers consistent with intent to distribute, and firearms in one of the vehicles.
Mr Nichols is charged with posession of a firearm by a convicted felon, an act the prosecution claims furthered the alleged conspiracy by members of YSL, according to the indictment.
Sergeant Charles Ross takes witness stand
Monday 4 December 2023 20:17 , Katie Hawkinson
Sergeant Charles Ross with the Atlanta Police Department took to the witness stand Monday afternoon to discuss his investigations into the social media activity of one of Young Thug’s co-defendants.
Mr Ross said he knew co-defendant Quamarvious Nichols from his Instagram account, believed to belong to him because of images and videos of him posted to the page. Mr Ross said he launched an investigation after he saw a video of Mr Nichols holding a bag of apparent marijuana on the account in…
Read More: Young Thug trial resumes with scuffle over YSL case witnesses – live updates