Young Thug Trial: Defense attorney asks judge to let her withdraw from case
Angela DWilliams, who represents Rodalius Ryan in the YSL trial, filed a motion last week to withdraw from the case (FOX 5 Atlanta).
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - An attorney representing one of the defendants in Fulton County's RICO case against Young Thug and his YSL associates has asked the judge to take her off the case.
Angela D'Williams is the only lawyer in the trial who has been appointed to represent one of the defendants on a contractual basis and says the amount she's being paid is too low for her to continue with the trial.
D'Williams, who represents 19-year-old Rodalius Ryan, wrote a letter to the Georgia Public Defender Council, saying that she has been left with "minimal time for other professional responsibilities."
This is not the first time D'Williams filed a motion asking to withdraw herself from representing Ryan. Last April, she argued that her pay of $15,000 was too low for a case that could last a year. Now, after months of jury selection and weeks of hearings, she says the increased pay cap of $55,000 is still too low for her to live off of.
Public defender in YSL trial in hot water
The Georgia Public Defender Council (GPDC) wants to remove one of the attorney's in the YSL trial from the case. The GPDC has filed a motion asking that Angela D'Williams, who represents Rodalius Ryan, be taken off the case, citing that she has said one thing publicly and another in private.
"I am not able to take on new clients because I am either in court for this trial, or outside of court working on this case, the majority of my time. As such, I am not able to earn a livable wage, while representing Mr. Ryan in this trial," D’Williams wrote.
D'Williams argued that she has adhered to her agreement, but that the "unique nature of the case has created an undeniable need for additional financial support."
Legal Affairs and Trials reporter Meghann Cuniff wrote that the chief legal officer for the Georgia Public Defense Council agreed that her situation was "unusual," but said that they would not be able to accommodate another pay increase.
D'Williams is now asking Judge Ural Glanville, who is overseeing the trial, to allow her to withdraw over the objection of Ryan, who she says will not waive his right to her appointed counsel.
After her motion in 2023, the GPDC asked to have her taken off the case, arguing that the public defender claimed that she wanted to withdraw from the case, but revealed in private she did not.
In its own motion, the GPDC cites a text message it says is from D'Williams to her colleagues, which states "I filed a motion to withdraw as a way to force GPDC to pay me more money. Please don't help the judge grant my motion. The goal is to have the judge deny my motion."
Glanville has reportedly scheduled a hearing over D'Williams' motion for Friday.
Rodalius Ryan, a co-defendant of Young Thug, sits in a Fulton County courtroom during the YSL RICO trial on Jan. 11, 2024. (FOX 5)
What are Young Thug and Rodalius Ryan charged with?
Young Thug, whose legal name is Jeffery Williams, was arrested on May 9, 2022, after a sweeping 88-page indictment accused him of being the co-founder of 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.
Despite requests for bond and an elaborate house arrest plan proposed to the court, Williams remained behind bars after concerns were raised over witness intimidation.
Ryan, who is facing a charge of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, is already serving a life sentence for the 2015 murder of a teenager in Atlanta.
The trial is set to resume on Thursday.