Georgia: Atlanta-based rapper Young Thug detained on criminal gang charges

United States: The Atlanta-based rapper Young Thug has been detained and is behind bars in Georgia. He was part of a sweeping indictment on racketeering as well as criminal street gang charges.

As per the Fulton County Jail, Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Lamar Williams, was detained by Atlanta police officials. 

According to the sources, his home was raided, and the agents dug up his garden on Monday, April 9. 

Moreover, the 30-year-old rapper was one of 28 individuals named in an 88-page grand jury indictment, which charges him with conspiracy to violate Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced as well as Corrupt Organization (RICO) Act as well as participation in criminal street gang activity. 

The offences were committed in 2013 and 2018, as per the records. 

It has also been charged in the 56-count indictment is the rapper Gunna, whose real name is Sergio Kitchens.

Young Thug’s lawyer named, Brian Steel, shared that his client was innocent on Tuesday. 

Steel mentioned in the statement, “Mr Williams has committed no violation of law whatsoever. We will fight this case ethically, legally & zealously. Mr Williams will be cleared.”

Along with this, it was not immediately clear whether the rapper Gunna had retained an attorney. 

The Prosecutors allege in the indictment that Young Thug is one of three founding members of a gang called YSL or “YoungSlimeLife.”

In addition, according to prosecutors, YSL is a criminal street gang that started in late 2012 in the Cleveland Avenue area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is affiliated with the national Bloods gang. 

The indictment said, “As associates of the enterprise [YSL], the defendants conspired to associate with others for the common purposes of illegally obtaining funds & property through a pattern of racketeering activity & conducting and participating in participating in the enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity.”

Furthermore, as per the indictment, the objectives of the alleged conspiracy included “Preserving, protecting & enhancing the reputation, power, & territory of the enterprise through acts of racketeering activity including murder, assault, & threats of violence.”