Young Thug, YSL RICO Trial Day 13 | Former co-defendant Trontavious Stephens takes stand
Former co-defendant testifies in YSL RICO trial
Trontavious Stephens, who accepted a plea deal in the YSL RICO case last year, took the stand on Wednesday. He testified about gang life and his ties to Young Thug. As part of his plea deal, Stephens is required to testify truthfully and cannot invoke his Fifth Amendment right.
ATLANTA - A former co-defendant who took a plea deal in the trial of Atlanta rapper Young Thug and his YSL associates took the stand in a Fulton County courtroom on Wednesday.
Trontavious 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.
When it comes to the founding of YSL, which chronologically came after ROC crew, Stephens admitted to co-founding Young Slime Life.
"Who were the other founding members?" asked Love?
"Um … Walter Murphy and Jeffery Williams," said Stephens. He went on to say that YSL revolved around music and not committing crimes.
The prosecution also questioned Stephens about his interaction with Young Thug’s attorneys, Tuesday.
"Is it your testimony that you spoke with them for 10 or 13 minutes?" asked Love.
"Yes," stated Stephens. "Did you agree to speak to me for 10 or 13 minutes?" asked Love. "No, not without my lawyer present."
Love pushed the topic.
"Why were you willing to speak with Jeffery William’s lawyer, but not me?" she asked.
"I never declined speaking with you, I told you my lawyer wasn’t present," He replied.
Stephens said he talked to Brian Steel, Young Thug's attorney, about images that would be shown to him and also about the schedule for testifying and how it impacted his work schedule.
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.
Court will resume on Thursday.
Young Thug, YSL RICO Trial Day 12 recap
The jury spent Tuesday listening to the accounts of former Perimeter Mall Security Guard Dwight Hutchins. His testimony was in reference to Act 51 of the indictment which revolved around a 2015 incident at the mall which prosecutors say began when Young Thug and several others were escorted out of the mall for riding hoverboards.
Former Dunwoody police officer Mark Stevens and Officer Sean Lenahan also took the stand to testify about the mall incident.
Prosecutors allege that while in a car, Young Thug, whose given name is Jeffery Williams, allegedly threatened to shoot security guard Christopher May in the face. On that stand, Hutchins claimed he did not think he wrote the report.
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