Rapper Young Thug arrested in Atlanta on criminal street gang activity charges

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Authorities arrested rapper Young Thug Monday and booked him on two gang-related charges, officials said.

They arrested him as part of a 56-count grand jury indictment in Georgia impacting 28 members of the Young Stoner Life Records label, which Young Thug founded, WSB-TV reported.

Young Thug, a 30-year-old Atlanta-based rapper born Jeffery Lamar Williams, faces charges of conspiring to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and for alleged participation in street gang activity, according to the report.

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Rapper Young Thug speaks onstage at the 2021 REVOLT Summit at 787 Windsor on November 13, 2021, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

The charges stemmed from different incidents, with the RICO Act charge coming from an incident in 2013 and the gang-related activity charge coming from 2018, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Fellow rapper and YSL member Gunna was also arrested and faces one count of conspiring to violate RICO, the court documents showed.

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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.

AUSTIN, TEXAS - MARCH 17: Young Thug performs onstage at 'Samsung Galaxy + Billboard' during the 2022 SXSW Conference and Festivals at Waterloo Park on March 17, 2022, in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Amy E. Price/Getty Images for SXSW)

One such incident included Young Thug’s renting of a car and ordering the hit of a rival gang member, prosecutors alleged in the indictment. 

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Williams' defense attorney, Brian Steel, said the rapper will contest the allegations.

"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.

Young Thug is a Grammy-winning rapper who heavily influences the Atlanta area. He has also built a national following and regularly brushes shoulders with other popular names, including recent song appearances with Cardi B and Elton John.

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The rapper has a criminal record which includes an arrest in 2016 for an outstanding warrant for failing to appear in court, an arrest in 2017 on drug charges, including possession of meth, hydrocodone, and marijuana, Fox 5 of Atlanta reported.

He was booked in Fulton County jail.