The trial that has Young Thug‘s rap career hanging in the balance has just taken another turn. The rapper’s lawyer has asked a judge to release the rapper from jail until a verdict in the case has been reached.
Young Thug Wants House Arrest Until There’s a Verdict
On Wednesday (July 24), Billboard reported that Young Thug’s lawyer, Brian Steel, asked Judge Paige Reese Whitaker on Tuesday (July 23) to release the Atlanta rhymer on bond and allow him to live under house arrest. The conditions would come with strict monitoring until a verdict is reached in the YSL RICO trial.
In a new legal filing, Steel reportedly claims Young Thug is experiencing “torturous conditions” in Fulton County Jail, where the Young Stoner Life Records head honcho has been in since 2022. His lawyer describes Thug as “languishing in the county jail” while being in isolation for 22 hours per day. Thug, born Jeffery Williams, reportedly sleeps in an ant-infested room and has been provided inedible food.
“Ordering Mr. Williams to wear an ankle monitor and to be in ‘total lockdown’ in his home is the equivalent to custody and confinement and has been deemed lawful confinement without the punishment imposed by the current county jail conditions wrongly imposed on Mr. Williams,” Steel wrote in the legal filing.
The new request for the judge arrives as she takes over the case for Judge Ural Glanville, who was removed earlier this month for having a a secret meeting between prosecutors and a witness. Glanville had previously denied Steel’s prior requests for bond for fear of Thug intimidating witnesses. Steel believes that won’t be an issue. He insisted to Judge Whitaker, a Superior Court judge, that Thug would submit to strict conditions under house arrest, including the use of electronic monitoring, hiring of off-duty police officers to guard him, subjecting all communications to monitoring and requiring searches of all people entering the home.
“This will prevent any possibility to intimidate a witness or otherwise obstruct the administration of justice,” Steel wrote. “With these parameters in mind, it cannot be said that Mr. Williams would be a threat or a danger to the community or any person or property in the community.”
A hearing date for next week has been set to address Steel’s filing for Young Thug and several new motions presented to Judge Whitaker.
XXL has reached out to Young Thug’s lawyer for comment.
Read More: Young Thug’s Attorney Sentenced to 20 Days in Jail
Young Thug’s YSL RICO Trial Continues to Grab Headlines
Young Thug has spent over two years in jail after being arrested on May 9, 2022, for a 56-count indictment, which charged him, Gunna and 26 other YSL affiliates with violating the RICO act. They were accused of being a violent street gang established by Thug in the early 2010s. The rapper has maintained his innocence and entered a not guilty plea. Several of the accused took plea deals and were either released from jail or are currently serving time. Gunna was among those freed in 2022.
Since then, the YSL RICO trial officially began in 2023. Jury selection occurred on Jan. 4, 2023, while opening statements started on Nov. 27, 2023. To date, it is the longest trial in Georgia history. Throughout the proceedings, there have been plenty of headline-grabbing moments, including a sexually explicit video being played on a Zoom call, Young Thug being handed drugs by a codefendant, Judge Glanville bringing his dog into the courtroom and a witness admitting he was high on the stand, among other memorable instances.
The latest development in the trial came in early July of 2024 when Judge Glanville had to be recused from the case for having an ex parte meeting between Kenneth “Lil Woody” Copeland, a key prosecution witness, and prosecutors that the defense was not privy to. Judge Shukura Ingram stepped in to take over for Judge Glanville, but two days later, she filed a motion to recuse herself from presiding over the trial since she had prior affiliation through court to one of the former codefendants on the case. Now Judge Whitaker is handling the case.
Read More: 24 Rappers Who Have Mentioned Young Thug Since His Arrest
See 26 Bizarre Moments in the YSL RICO Trial
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