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ATLANTA - A little more than a month after rapper Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, pleaded guilty, his attorneys now want one of the significant conditions of his sentence changed.
On Halloween night, Young Thug made the bold decision to give up his right to a jury trial midway through the proceedings and changed his plea to guilty. The Grammy-winning rapper admitted to charges involving guns, drugs, and street gang activity. "I take full responsibility for my crimes," he said in court.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker sentenced Young Thug to 15 years of probation and banned him from the Atlanta area for 10 years. Last week, after the final two YSL defendants were found not guilty of the most serious charges they faced, Young Thug’s father said his son’s guilty plea was his own choice. "No regrets, know what I'm saying," Jeffery Williams Sr. said. "He did what he felt like he wanted to do. He’s grown; he made his own decision."
Just days after that interview, his son’s attorneys filed a motion to amend his sentence. They argued that Young Thug should be allowed to visit his Atlanta home to "have family gatherings for holidays and other lawful reasons with friends, family, and business associates." The motion stated that the Fulton County Chief Probation Officer had no objection to the change. On Dec. 11, Judge Whitaker issued an order granting a modification to the special conditions of his probation.
The order allows Young Thug to visit his Atlanta home starting Oct. 31, 2027, provided there are no violations of probation within the first three years of his sentence. These visits are limited to up to two weeks at a time, up to four times per year, on a non-consecutive basis. Additionally, he must notify probation at least five days before each visit.
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For privacy and safety reasons, given his status as a public figure, the court ruled that the address of his residence shall remain sealed and not be disclosed on any public websites or to the general public by probation officers. This confidentiality can only be overridden by further court orders. All other probation conditions remain in effect.
"The question will be whether Judge Paige Reese Whitaker objects to this amendment. Even if probation agrees or does not object to the change, the judge may still reject it," said legal expert and attorney Joshua Schiffer before the court’s decision.
In a related case, attorneys for Deamonte Kendrick, who goes by Yak Gotti, were found not guilty last week but remain incarcerated for two other cases—one involving contraband and another related to a jail fight. The emergency motion cites ongoing safety concerns at the Fulton County Jail and recent findings from the U.S. Department of Justice about its conditions.
"Everybody understands that 901 Rice Street is an unsafe facility. Mr. Kendrick has a valid request to be kept somewhere safe, and his fundamental constitutional rights should be satisfied," Schiffer said.
Kendrick’s hearing is set for next Tuesday.
The Source: Details in this report come from Fulton County Superior Court records and previous FOX 5 Atlanta reports.