Here’s a Breakdown of Recent Plea Deals Defendants Are Taking in the YSL RICO Case
And then there were three. On May 9, 2022, Young Thug, Gunna and 26 other affiliates of Thugger's YSL collective were arrested in a large-scale RICO case in Georgia accusing the group of racketeering, murder, armed robbery and participation in criminal street gang activity. In the following months, several people, including Gunna, took plea deals, and when the trial began last November, Young Thug, born Jeffery Williams, and five codefendants were left on the case.
Following what has been the longest trial in Georgia history, a prosecution blunder during a hearing in late October, which could result in a mistrial, has opened the door for the remaining defendants to negotiate plea deals as well. Here's a breakdown of the recent plea deals that have been accepted in the YSL RICO case.
Quamarvious Nichols
On Tuesday (Oct. 29), Quamarvious Nichols accepted a plea deal, according to Rolling Stone. He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate Georgia’s RICO law. Prosecutors agreed to drop six other counts, including a murder charge and several weapons charges. Nichols was immediately sentenced to 20 years by Judge Paige Reese Whitaker. Seven years served in custody and 13 years to be served on probation. Nichols had been charged with the 2022 murder of YFN Lucci associate Shymel Drinks. He was facing life in prison if found guilty in the YSL case.
Read More: Here Are 26 Bizarre Moments in the YSL Trial, the Wildest Trial in Hip-Hop History
Rodalius Ryan
On Wednesday (Oct. 30), Rodalius Ryan pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate Georgia’s RICO law. He was sentenced to 10 years, commuted to time served. However, Ryan is already serving life with the possibility of parole for a 2019 murder. Ryan was 15 years old when he killed Jamari Holmes and is hoping to be freed on appeal.
Marquavius Huey
On Wednesday (Oct. 30), Marquavius Huey also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate Georgia's RICO law. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to dismiss hijacking and aggravated assault. Huey was sentenced to 25 years, with nine to be served in custody, nine on supervised release and five years suspended. He originally faced 19 counts and was looking at the possibility of multiple life sentences.
None of the plea deals required a statement of facts nor an agreement to testify against others, Rolling Stone reports.
Remaining Defendants
Now, Young Thug, Deamonte “Yak Gotti” Kendrick and Shannon Stillwell are the only three defendants left on the case. Kendrick and Stillwell have been charged with the 2015 murder of Donovan Thomas. Young Thug has been charged with street-gang activity, violation of the Georgia controlled substances act, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, possession of a machine gun and drug charges.
It remains to be seen if they will plead out as well.