YSL trial begins next week with 14 defendants, including Young Thug
The trial is expected to last three weeks.Jury selection for the RICO trial of rapper Young Thug and twelve other defendants will take place next week in Fulton County, Georgia. Over 300 witnesses are expected to be called when the trial officially starts in early January. The original indictment named 28 defendants, who have been accused of violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).
Eight defendants have taken plea deals and six will stand trial at a later date.Defense attorneys have argued that the group is simply a record label, Young Slime Life (YSL), and not a criminal gang. However, YSL has been blamed for various alleged crimes in Atlanta, including the 2015 killing of Donovan Thomas Jr., to which one associate, Antonio Sledge, has confessed. He accepted a plea deal and was released from jail.
Two other defendants were offered plea deals but refused, while four defendants have yet to be provided with an attorney. Young Thug has been denied bail, and his brother Quantavious Grier, who accepted a plea deal, is not allowed to contact the rapper or any other defendants until the trial ends.The trial is expected to last three weeks, starting on Jan. 9. Jury selection will begin.