When Grammy-winning rapper Young Thug stepped up to a courtroom podium Thursday to give a non-negotiated plea in his gang and racketeering conspiracy case in Atlanta, it was a gamble that paid off.
Without any safety net in the form of a signed deal with prosecutors, the artist born Jeffery Williams pleaded “no contest” to his two top charges alleging he was the fearsome kingpin of a criminal street gang called Young Slime Life. He then pleaded guilty to all six of his remaining charges, including one count admitting participation in a street gang. He was immediately sentenced to time served and released on 15 years of probation in a stunning turn of events after spending the last two and a half years languishing in jail amid the longest trial in Georgia state history.
Three of Williams’ five RICO trial co-defendants already had pleaded out over the prior week with…
