What is Young Thug’s Rico Trial all about? Prosecution explained as opening statements begin 

Young Thug, the American rapper and singer, was in jail for over 567 days until he stood trial on November 27, 2023, to determine whether he was a key figure of the criminal street gang Young Slime Life or YSL.

The rapper, an Atlanta native, was arrested on charges of participating in gang activity and violating Georgia’s criminal racketeering law as part of YSL in May 2022. He was accused of the same in the prosecutors' opening statements in the trial.

As per the Los Angeles Times, the group is allegedly responsible for a string of criminal activity, including murders, shootings, carjackings, and thefts, beginning in 2012, when it was founded.

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What you need to know about rapper Young Thug's trial

Jeffery Lamar Williams, known professionally as Young Thug, began his hip-hop career in 2010, achieving great success in the Atlanta rap scene as he collected Grammy nominations and MTV Video Music Awards. In 2016, the American rapper founded Young Stoner Life Records, an American record label based in Atlanta, Georgia.

The same initials were used by a street gang group named Young Slime Life, which is a subset of the national Bloods led by Mr. Williams, according to prosecutors. Young Thug was arrested in May 2022 for allegedly spearheading the violent criminal enterprise and participating in alleged crimes from 2015 to 2022, as per The New York Times.

One hundred ninety-one acts were committed during that time as part of the alleged conspiracy to further the gang's interests, according to prosecutors. The opening statements of both the prosecutor and Thug's defense on Monday, November 27, raised a lot of buzz online.

The prosecution took the controversial step of using Young Thug's rap lyrics as evidence against him. Fulton County Chief Deputy District Attorney Adriane Love added,

"The evidence will show that these defendants, that the members and associates of YSL, they knew who their leader was and they knew the repercussions of not obeying their leader. You will hear evidence that when members and associates of YSL got in trouble, got locked up, the first person they called was either (Young Thug) or one of his family members."

The rapper's defense called for mistrial moments in opening statements.

The YSL group is tied to a string of alleged criminal activity, including murders, shootings, carjackings, and thefts. As per the Los Angeles Times, the rapper was also charged with renting a 2014 Infiniti Q50 sedan that was allegedly used in the 2015 murder of Donovan Thomas Jr., a member of a rival gang.

According to USA Today, 14 of the 28 people charged in the indictment were set to be tried together. However, the number has now decreased to six as some defendants took plea deals while the rest are separated to be tried later. Some of Young Thug's co-defendants were charged with violent crimes such as murder and attempted armed robbery, along with participation in street gang activity.

Young Thug and 27 other people are accused of conspiring to violate Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, known as RICO. The first offense dates to January 2013, and the second charge is criminal street gang activity for an offense dating to May 2018. Six of 65 felony charges in the court documents apply to the rapper.

Young Thug's defense attorney, Brian Steel, told CNN that the rapper is innocent of all counts and “committed no crime whatsoever.” The racketeering conspiracy charge and two gang charges have the potential to get him a penalty of five to 20 years in prison, as per USA Today. There are five charges that could add to his prison time.

The trial saw many delays, unforeseen courtroom dramas, and plea deals, which led to a jury selection process that lasted nearly ten months. But now, it is expected to last a year.