Young Thug, YSL RICO Trial Day 14 | What is a 'snitch?'
ATLANTA - The man who admitted to being a co-founder of the Young Slime Life gang wrapped up his testimony. The trial of Young Thug and his YSL associates ended its 14th day early with a three-day weekend for the jury.
Trontavious Stephens told the court on Thursday that he did not know the meaning of the word "snitch." It’s an exchange which created quite a buzz on social media.
The questioning surrounded a specific part of the YSL indictment, the 2015 shooting of rapper Lil Wayne’s tour bus. In testimony often peppered with pauses, he said he did not remember specific conversations from a night on which he celebrated his birthday and planned to see Lil Wayne at Compound, a nightclub in Atlanta.
Prosecutors also tried to gauge how much of a fan, or not, Stephens, and other YSL members were of Lil Wayne.
The proceeding only lasted about 2 hours, ending right at noon.
Testimony is expected to resume on Monday morning.
Young Thug, YSL RICO Trial Day 13 recap
The key witness on the stand on Wednesday was Trontavious Stephens, a former co-defendant who made a plea deal.
Stephens testified that he was a founding member of Young Slime Life (YSL) and named Jeffery Williams aka Young Thug, and Walter Murphy as the other co-founders. He explained that YSL was about "the music" and not crimes.
Stephens, who goes by the street names Tick and Slug, testified about his past gang involvement, which he says started at around age 14 or 15 years old.
"The first gang that I got involved with was the ROC crew," said Stephens.
He also testified that he did have affiliation with The Bloods.
"Have you ever falsely claimed ‘Sex Money Murder?'" asked prosecutor Adriane Love in reference to the Bloods street gang. "Yes," he replied.
Stephens named his siblings, a childhood friend, a neighbor, and Quinton Porter or "boo" as other ROC Crew members. He denied any ROC membership ties with the defendants. "No one in this courtroom was Raised on Cleveland with me," stated Stephens after he scanned the room.
He received his plea deal in December 2022. As part of the deal, Stephens was told he had to testify truthfully and could not invoke his Fifth Amendment right on the stand.
Stephens originally faced up to 20 years on a single RICO count, but he got off with just a 10-year sentence with two years and time served. The rest will be served on probation.
What are the charges Young Thug faces?
A Fulton County grand jury indicted Young Thug in May 2022, and more charges were added in a subsequent indictment in August of that year. The second indictment accuses Young Thug and 27 other people of conspiring to violate Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, known as RICO. The rapper is also accused of participation in criminal street gang activity, as well as drug and gun charges.
Prosecutors say Young Thug and two other people co-founded a violent criminal street gang in 2012 called Young Slime Life, or YSL, which they say is associated with the national Bloods gang. The indictment says Young Thug "made YSL a well-known name by referring to it in his songs and on social media."
In addition to specific charges, the August indictment includes a wide-ranging list of 191 acts that prosecutors say were committed between 2013 and 2022 as part of the alleged conspiracy to further the gang’s interests.
Included in that list is an allegation that Young Thug threatened in July 2015 to shoot a security guard who was trying to get him to leave an Atlanta-area mall. The indictment also says Young Thug rented a silver Infiniti sedan that was used in the killing of a rival gang member. And, on numerous occasions, he and others are alleged to have possessed various illegal drugs that they intended to distribute.
What do Young Thug's defense lawyers say?
Young Thug’s lawyers have said in multiple court filings that he is innocent of all crimes charged in the indictment. They argue that YSL is simply a record label. The rapper has pleaded not guilty.
Multiple defense attorneys in the case have said prosecutors were overzealous in their use of the RICO statute and the anti-gang law, both of which carry heavy penalties.
Who else is charged in the Young Thug YSL RICO trial?
Rapper Gunna, whose given name is Sergio Kitchens, was charged with a single count of racketeering conspiracy. He entered an Alford plea in December, which means he maintains his innocence but recognizes that it’s in his best interest to plead guilty.
During Gunna’s plea hearing, the rapper responded, "Yes, ma’am" when a prosecutor said that "YSL is a music label and a gang" and that he had knowledge that its members or associates had committed crimes in furtherance of the gang.
The other two people accused of co-founding the YSL gang — Walter Murphy and Trontavious Stephens — were also charged. They each pleaded guilty in December to one count of conspiracy to violate the anti-racketeering law.
The remaining defendants are Marquavius Huey, Deamonte "Yak Gotti" Kendrick, Quamarvious Nichols, Rodalius Ryan and Shannon Stillwell.
What penalties does Young Thug face if he's convicted?
Young Thug’s racketeering conspiracy charge and two gang charges each carry a penalty of five to 20 years in prison. The other five charges also carry potential prison time.
The Associated Press contributed to this report