Young Thug Update: Plea Deal by Co-Defendant Ahead of Mistrial Decision

Four co-defendants remain on trial with rapper Young Thug after Quamarvious Nichols accepted a plea deal on Tuesday, all while the judge considers granting a mistrial motion filed by the defense.

Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, and several co-defendants are facing charges related to racketeering conspiracy and participation in criminal street gang activity, along with drug and gun violations.

Williams is accused of violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, which targets individuals working under a criminal organization.

Nichols agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to violate the state’s RICO Act. In exchange, the state agreed to not prosecute Nichols on the remaining charges, including murder.

Quamarvious Nichols Young Thug — Quamarvious Nichols accepted a plea deal on Tuesday. Four co-defendants remain on trial with rapper Young Thug.

Law & Crime

He was sentenced to seven years in prison and 13 years on probation.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker has yet to rule on a mistrial motion filed by Nichols’ legal team.

The lawyers called for a mistrial after a witness accidentally read an unredacted exhibit during his testimony. Slimelife Shawty, whose real name is Wunnie Lee, read the unredacted printout of a social media caption rather than the redacted version shown on a monitor. The caption featured the hashtag “Free Qua.”

Defense attorneys said the jury was not supposed to know which defendants had previously been incarcerated.

“Now the jury has repeatedly heard about Mr. Nichols being in jail, being in prison, and we cannot unring that bell, so we will ask for a mistrial,” Nicole Westmoreland, an attorney for Nichols, said.

Whitaker dismissed the witness and jury for the day after the mishap. She said she would not grant a mistrial with prejudice, but she did not rule out the possibility of a mistrial without prejudice. The ruling would end the trial, but the state could still retry it.

Who is Jeffery Williams?

Williams is a rapper with over 27 million monthly listeners on Spotify. His rap career began in 2010 with a guest appearance on rapper TruRoyal’s song “She Can Go.”

After releasing several mixtapes, Williams was signed to rapper Gucci Mane’s record label, 1017 Brick Squad Records.

In 2016, Williams announced that he was starting his own record label called YSL records. Prosecutors have alleged that YSL is actually a gang.

Williams, 33, was born in Atlanta. He was the tenth of 11 children.

He is dating R&B artist Mariah the Scientist, whose real name is Mariah Buckles.

Who is Deamonte Kendrick?

Kendrick, also known as Yak Gotti, is one of the co-defendants on trial with Williams. Kendrick, 31, was born in Miami and raised in Atlanta.

He was a rapper under the YSL label, where he collaborated with Williams on “Take It To Trial.” He released his debut album, Gotti Outta Here, in 2020.

Kendrick got into an altercation with another inmate at the Fulton County jail in 2022. The other inmate allegedly attacked Kendrick with a knife.

Who is Rodalius Ryan?

Ryan, also known as Lil Rod, is on trial with Williams. The 19-year-old is already serving a life sentence for the 2015 murder of a teenager in Atlanta.

In 2023, Ryan was searched in a holding cell outside the courtroom because deputies suspected he had snuck drugs into the courtroom. Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat said a “sizeable” amount of marijuana was found on his person.

He was injured in an alleged assault by a deputy last year. His attorney alleged that the deputy punched Ryan in the head.

Who is Marquavius Huey?

Marquavius Huey, also known as Qua, is on trial with Williams.

He is charged with armed robbery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, hijacking a motor vehicle in the first degree, participation in a criminal street gang, possession of a telecommunication device by an incarcerated individual and gun charges. He is also facing RICO charges.