ATLANTA – Grammy award winning rapper Young Thug was arrested Monday and booked on two gang-related charges, officials said.
Jeffery Lamar Williams, 30, known as the artist Young Thug, was booked at the Fulton County Jail following his arrest. He is charged with conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and participation in street gang activity, reported The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Williams is implicated as part of a 56-count grand jury indictment in Georgia impacting 28 members of the Young Stoner Life Records label, which he founded, WSB-TV reported.
The charges stem from a collation of crimes, with the RICO Act charge coming from an incident in 2013 and the gang-related activity charge coming from 2018, AJC reported.
JUST IN: @youngthug booked into @FultonSheriff on charges of Conspiracy to Violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act & Participation in Criminal Street Gang Activity. He will make his first appearance on Tuesday at 1130 am. @wsbtv pic.twitter.com/LRSeus8Lsc
— Michael Seiden (@SeidenWSBTV) May 10, 2022
.@youngthug defense attorney speaks with my colleague @MarkWinneWSB:
“I’ll tell you the response to any allegation; Mr. Williams committed no crime whatsoever and we will fight to my last drop of blood to clear him.”
-Defense attorney Brian Steel pic.twitter.com/X7wXePahtf
— Michael Seiden (@SeidenWSBTV) May 10, 2022
Fellow rapper and YSL member Gunna, whose legal name is Sergio Giavanni Kitchens, was also arrested and faces one count of conspiring to violate RICO, the court documents revealed, according to Fox News.
Prosecutors in the indictment claimed YSL operates with the Bloods gang and highlighted numerous gang-related incidents, spanning years, that include criminal actions, AJC reported.
One case involved Williams reportedly renting a vehicle and ordering the hit of a rival gang member, prosecutors alleged in the indictment.
Another co-defendant is Christian Eppinger. Atlanta police have accused Eppinger of shooting veteran gang unit officer David Rodgers six times earlier this year.
On Feb. 7 at approx. 1:15 p.m., Rodgers suffered six gunshot wounds during a shooting that occurred near the Colonial Square Apartment homes, Law Officer reported.
The Atlanta Police Department said officers were trying to take a known gang member into custody. The suspect had outstanding warrants charging him with robbery and aggravated assault with a firearm from a case in October 2021.
APD identified the shooting suspect as 22-year-old Eppinger. Another officer returned fire, but Eppinger was not hit.
Williams’ defense attorney, Brian Steel, said the rapper will contest the accusations made against him.
“I’ll tell you the response to any allegation; Mr. Williams committed no crime whatsoever and we will fight to my last drop of blood to clear him,” Steel told WSB-TV.
Williams is a Grammy award winning rapper who heavily influences the Atlanta area. He has established a national following and has made appearances with Cardi B and Elton John, Fox News reported.
The rapper has narcotic charges from a 2017 arrest in his background as well as an arrest warrant from 2016 for failing to appear in court, according to Fox 5 of Atlanta.
Williams is scheduled to make a court appearance Tuesday.
