Young Thug, YSL RICO Trial: Judge issues ultimatum for prosecutors to turn over evidence

ATLANTA - Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Whitaker has given prosecutors in the YSL trial an ultimatum to turn over all the evidence against rapper Young Thug, whose legal name is Jeffery Williams, and his associates to defense attorneys by the end of the week or face a mistrial. 

This is the latest in a series of developments in the racketeering case since July, when the judge in the case at the time held an in-chambers meeting with prosecutors and witness Kenneth Copeland, excluding defense attorneys. That judge was ultimately removed from the case following the accusation of the ex parte meeting, and another judge assigned to the case recused herself, putting the case in Judge Whitaker’s care. 

When Judge Whitaker took over, she approached the case with a no-nonsense attitude towards both prosecutors and the defense. On Wednesday, her attention was turned towards the accusations by the defense that attorneys from the Fulton County District Attorney’s office were not following court rules. 

READ MORE: Young Thug, YSL RICO Trial updates from Wednesday

As the day progressed, prosecutors appeared to provide the proof for which the judge was looking, that all the evidence in the voluminous case is being shared. So, she appeared to back off the topic during the afternoon court session. 

Still, Judge Whitaker made it clear that the state was operating on thin ice and might not have been following the law or rules of judicial conduct. Prosecutors have been repeatedly warned that they need to organize their case properly. 

"It was painful and took days for us to get info. Now, we are getting info on another expert we had never had before," defense attorney Brian Steel, who represents Williams, complained to the judge in court on Wednesday.  

While Steele is crying foul, prosecutors are saying anything that happened was inadvertently done. 

"To say, ‘bad faith,’ we did not intentionally keep it from them," prosecutor Adriane Love replied. 

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The attorneys representing the other five defendants quickly chimed in, saying former Chief Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville, who was originally presiding over the case, had already admonished the state for the same practice during the 19-month trial. 

"How many times can you say, ‘Oops!’ as an experienced litigator?" attorney Nicole Westmoreland, who represents co-defendant Quamarvious Nichols, asked. 

The judge deferred a final decision on the matter until Wednesday but set a deadline. 

"By Friday at noon, it is important to have your ducks and ducklings in a row the way we all should be sharing all evidence with the defense," the judge said.  

Judge Whitaker concluded that the prosecutors were not acting in bad faith but were rather overwhelmed by the volume of evidence in what has become the longest trial in Georgia's history. 

Young Thug and 27 others were indicted in 2022 for violating Georgia's RICO or racketeering law and committing multiple violent crimes. Following the longest jury selection in history (10 months), a trial for Young Thug (real name Jeffery Williams) and several co-defendants got underway in November 2023. It is now the longest trial in Georgia history. Prosecutors are attempting to prove that YSL (Young Slime Life) is a criminal street gang responsible for numerous offenses, including murder. The defendants maintain that YSL stands for Young Stoner Life and is the name of a record label founded by Young Thug. Young Thug is facing 8 criminal charges. The trial has been plagued by various disruptions, including illnesses, the arrests of a juror and a lawyer, the stabbing of defendant Shannon Stillwell, the removal of the judge originally assigned to the case, and more.