Jeffery Lamar Williams, who goes by the stage name Young Thug, was arrested on May 9, 2022. (Fulton County Sheriff's Office)
ATLANTA - A judge overseeing the RICO criminal case against rapper Young Thug in Fulton County has ordered defense attorneys not to share witness information, in particular, their contacts.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville issued the temporary order citing "numerous threats to kill or harm witnesses." The order prohibits the defense from sharing contacts with their client.
This week, Fulton County District Attorney’s Office filed the motion due to a "history of intimidating witnesses." Prosecutors pointed to one of the multiple examples, including a plot to murder two Atlanta police officers. Prosecutors told the judge investigators have uncovered multiple threats against witnesses that also include family members.
Defense attorney Brian Steel refuted those claims, denying any intimidation has taken place.
The 30-year-old rapper, whose legal name is Jeffery Lamar Williams, and 27 other people, was indicted along with fellow Atlanta rapper Gunna in May using Georgia’s RICO Act. The 88-page indictment claims they are part of the Young Slime Life, or YSL, a subset of the Bloods street gang. Prosecutors allege those named in the indictment have engaged in violent criminal activity in the city since 2012.
READ THE FULL LIST OF THOSE INDICTED AND THE CHARGES
Prosecutors claim Williams is a co-founder of YSL. The indictment also gives a detailed account of various violent crimes alleged members of YSL are accused of, and documents social media posts and rap lyrics by Williams that reference YSL.
Last month, Judge Glanville denied bond and an elaborate house arrest plan. Several factors were taken into consideration including a threat introduced to the court attributed to Williams from 2015 that states "Anybody goes into courtroom and tells the god's honest truth, they'll be f---ing killed." The judge said the validity of that threat would need to be proven in court, but it speaks to his possibly being a danger to the community.
If convicted of a RICO charge, Williams could face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Atlanta rapper Gunna, who is also charged with violating the RICO Act, had his bond denied in May. A judge set his court date for January 2023. He continues to be held in the Cobb County Adult Detention Facility.
What is the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act?
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, was developed to fight organized crime. It was enacted in 1970 after being signed into law by President Richard Nixon.
Federally, RICO was originally was intended to be used to combat the Mafia. It draws from a list of 27 federal crimes and eight state crimes committed repeated over the course of a 10-year period. Those crimes can include fraud, theft, computer crimes, embezzlement, credit scams, investment schemes, human trafficking, illegal gambling, bribery, kidnapping, murder, money laundering, counterfeiting, and various drug charges.
The Justice Department has used RICO to dismantle multiple crime families and weed out corruption in several city police departments. Prosecutors have also used RICO to try to dismantle several street gangs and helped in prosecuting businesses that break federal law.
Georgia’s RICO statutes are similar to the federal version , but are much broader in that the criminal "enterprise" does not have to be around as long. Georgia is one of only 33 states that has its own RICO statutes. However, in both state and federal laws, a pattern of criminal enterprise has to be established.