Young Thug has been denied bond once again and will remain in jail while awaiting his much-delayed trial for charges of gang activity and racketeering. Per Billboard, Judge Ural Glanville ruled that the rapper must remain behind bars, claiming he would “pose a significant risk to the community” and citing the prosecutor’s claims of possible witness intimidation.
While claiming Young Thug (born Jeffery Williams) has a history of intimidating witnesses, Prosecutor Adriane Love alleged that the artist told a woman via text message that “snitch hoes get murked, them and their kids.” Young Thug’s lawyers disputed the existence of the text, and the prosecutors later clarified that the message was sent back in 2010.
Prosecutors also alleged that “recent conversations” with witnesses suggested that Young Thug was “asking for permission to harm others.” According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Love shared an alleged quote from a potential witness: “He moves like a man with a million dollars behind his name.”
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Meanwhile, Young Thug’s attorney Brian Steel disputed that his client posed a risk and detailed the “torturous” conditions Thug has been facing in jail. Not only has Thug “gained tremendous weight” from eating processed food, but he was recently hospitalized with kidney issues as a result.
“The diet consumed by Mr. Williams endangers his health,” said Steel. “Pre-trial incarceration, your honor, is not supposed to damage a person’s mind, spirit or body.”
Though the trial technically started in January, it has repeatedly been delayed as not a single juror has been chosen. Young Thug was indicted in May 2022 after being accused of masterminding a criminal gang under the Young Slime Life banner; his lawyers have argued that YSL is simply a music label. YSL artist Gunna pleaded guilty to a racketeering charge back in December and was released from prison.