A rapper who pleaded guilty on Oct. 31 to gang, drug, and gun charges will be released from jail but can only return to Atlanta for select events.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker sentenced Young Thug, whose given name is Jeffery Williams, to five years in prison, commuted to time served. She also handed down 15 years of probation.
If Williams successfully finishes the probation without any violations, another 20 years in prison will be commuted. Any violations would result in him having to serve 20 years.
Whitaker also said the rapper, 33, must not return to Atlanta for 10 years, except for weddings, funerals, graduations, or when family members are seriously ill. The only other times Williams can return to the city is the four times a year he will be required to make anti-gang, anti-gun presentations at a school or a community organization.
The presentations can count toward the 100 hours of community service he must perform annually during the probation.
Williams is also not allowed to associate with gang members or with the victims or other defendants in the case, with the exception of his brother and the rapper Gunna, with whom he has contractual obligations. He also cannot promote any criminal street gang or gang activity and can’t use hand signs or terminology that promotes a street gang.
Williams was arrested in 2022 and has been held since then. He pleaded guilty to one gang charge, three drug charges, and two gun charges, and no contest to another gang charge and a racketeering conspiracy charge.
Lawyers for Williams said they believed he would be found innocent by a jury but that he pleaded guilty after negotiations with prosecutors broke down because he wanted to be with his family.
“At that point, we believed that justice would be found with the honorable court, and Jeffery just wanted to go home,” Brian Steel, one of the lawyers, told reporters after the sentence was imposed.
“We’re okay with the sentence,” Keith Adams, another lawyer representing the rapper, added later.
Williams “has the ability, the incentive to go forth and do everything he needs to do to put this behind him,” Adams said. “And we’re confident he will.”
Prosecutors said they would have been able to prove Williams was guilty. They had requested a 45-year sentence, including 25 years in prison.
The rapper told the judge that he had learned from his mistakes.
“I come from nothing and I’ve made something and I didn’t take full advantage of it. I’m sorry,” he said.
The judge said she appreciated that Williams realized the impact that he has on people worldwide. She said rap music may involve a lot of posturing but that children emulate some of the dangerous behavior mentioned in songs. She encouraged Williams to use his talent and influence to encourage kids to do the right thing.
“I want you to try to be more of the solution and less of the problem,” Whitaker said.
