Popular Atlanta rapper Young Thug arrested on RICO, gang-related charges

The Atlanta-based rapper Young Thug was one of nearly 30 people indicted Monday in Georgia on conspiracy to violate the state’s RICO act and charges stemming from street gang activity.

Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffrey Lamar Williams, was arrested at his home in Buckhead, a suburb just north of Atlanta, Georgia. The Associated Press reported that he is currently being held at the Fulton County Jail.

The charges of conspiracy date back to 2013, and the gang-related charges date back to 2018, according to jail records.

According to the indictment, Young Thug is allegedly one of three founders of the organization called Young Slime Life, “a criminal street gang that started in 2012” in Atlanta. Young Slime Life is affiliated with the national Bloods gang.

Court documents state that the Young Slime Life criminal organization started as a street gang in the Cleveland Avenue area of Atlanta in 2012.

The gang-related charges include “preserving, protecting and enhancing reputation, power and territory of enterprise through acts of racketeering activity including murder, assault and threats of violence.”

Fox 5 Atlanta reported that the indictment lists more than 180 acts that support just the first of the 56 separate charges filed against members of Young Slime Life. Currently, Young Thug is only charged with two counts.

However, Young Thug’s lawyer, Brian Steel, told local media outlets that “Mr. Williams committed no crime whatsoever” and that he intends to “fight till his last drop of blood to clear him.”

Young Thug’s first court appearance will be on Tuesday at 11:30 a.m.

Indicted along with Young Thug on Monday were Atlanta-based rapper Gunna, whose real name is Sergio Kitchens, and an aspiring rapper, Christian Eppinger. Eppinger was already in jail, accused of shooting an Atlanta Police officer six times in February.

It was not immediately known at the time the indictment was issued whether Gunna, who has been accused of conspiracy to violate the state’s RICO act, has been arrested.

In April 2021, Young Thug and Gunna posted bail payments for 30 low-level inmates who were unable to afford the payments themselves.

Young Thug’s record label has been called YSL Records or Young Stoner Life Records. The label refers to its artists as part of the “Slime Family,” and a compilation album of the artists called “Slime Language 2” charted at the top spot on the charts in April 2021.