Young Thug is back in court fighting for his freedom in the YSL RICO trial.
Day 19 of the Young Thug YSL Trial
On Monday (Jan. 22), following a week-long recess, the Young Thug YSL RICO trial resumed in Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta. As it has for the last two weeks, the trial featured testimony from YSL cofounder Trontavious “Tick” Stephens, who was expected to be one of the prosecution’s star witnesses.
- Judge Speaks on Motion to Suppress Filming of Witness Testimony
Last week, the prosecution filed a motion to stop witness testimony from being filmed, citing the safety of the witnesses. This issue was brought up earlier in the trial when cameras filmed some of the people on the jury. During today’s hearing, Judge Ural Glanville set a hearing for Feb. 2 where he will make his decision on the motion.
- Snoop Dogg Super Bowl Performance Played in Court
Trontavious Stephens, who took a plea deal in the YSL case in December of 2022, and is currently testifying on behalf of the prosecution, continued his lengthy testimony, beginning with more talk about Lil Wayne and other entertainers. Young Thug’s attorney Brian Steel continued his cross-examination of Stephens, where he tried to convince the jury that Young Thug is solely an entertainer and not a gang member. Steel continued to do so by showing video of Snoop Dogg performing at the Super Bowl in 2022, with the implication being gang culture is prevalent in hip-hop. During the hearing, Stephens testified that YSL has Crip members in it and named Gunna as one of them.
- “Tick” Stephens Questioned About Young Thug Acronym
Prosecutor Adriane Love questioned Trontavious Stephens about the acronym Young Thug’s defense has been trying convince the jury Thug stands for: Truly Humble Under God. Love asked Stephens if he could name any songs that Young Thug has where he references being truly humble under God.
After at first seeming stumped, Stephens finally replied, “A number of songs on the last album Punk…’Dropping Jewels.’ He talked about God a lot in that one.”
When pressed for the exact line, Stephens was unable to come up with one. Stephens was also questioned about if Young Thug was referencing Percocet’s on the song “Pushin P.” He said he was unable to give a clear answer without hearing the song.
The trial will resume with Day 20 on Tuesday (Jan. 23).
Young Thug Continues to Fight for His Freedom
Young Thug, born Jeffery Williams, is facing multiple charges including violating Georgia’s RICO Act. Prosecutors will attempt to prove that Thug and five codefendants used the YSL record label for violent gang activity. The state additionally claims YSL has committed many violent crimes including armed robbery, conspiring to murder, and participating in criminal street gang activity. A jury of 12, including seven Black women, two White women, two Black men and one White man, will decide whether Thug walks free or not. The trial is expected to last several weeks.
Watch Day 19 of the Young Thug YSL trial below.
