ATLANA – Rap star Young Thug, one of the most influential performers on the famous fertile hip-hop scene in Atlanta, was arrested Monday on suspicion of gang involvement and conspiracy to violate Georgia’s criminal racketeering law. The rapper, whose real name is Jeffrey Williams, has been charged with extensive charges by a grand jury that identified him and 27 others as members of the same criminal street gang and accused some of them of violent crimes, including murder and attempted armed robbery.
Mr. Williams has changed the world of rap throughout his ten-year career and inspired numerous emulators, winning three №1 albums on the Billboard charts and collaborating with stars from around the world and beyond. His arrest came when Fulton County Attorney Fanny Willis, a Democrat best known for investigating whether former President Donald J. Trump and his allies have committed election fraud in Georgia by promising to crack down on street gangs in Atlanta, a city rocked by violent crime.
Mr Williams ‘arrest at his house in Buckhead was confirmed Monday night by Jeff DiSantis, a spokesman for Ms Willis’ office, who said several other people named in the indictment had also been arrested.
The indictment alleges that Mr. Williams is the founder of Young Slime Life, a criminal street gang founded in Atlanta in 2012 and linked to the national gang Bloods. Mr. Williams’ successful record label has been variously referred to as YSL Records or Young Stoner Life Records; The label cites its artists as part of “Slime Family” and a compilation album called “Slime Language 2”, hit number 1 in the charts in April 2021.
All 28 people named in the indictment were charged with conspiracy to violate the State Law on the Influenced by Racketeering and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, which is exactly the model of federal law best used against members of organized crime. In 2014, Ms. Willis helped lead a controversial racketeering lawsuit in which Atlanta public school teachers were accused of cheating on standardized tests. She also raised the possibility that Mr Trump and some of his allies had violated state RICO law in their alleged efforts to undermine the results of the 2020 presidential election.
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