Young Thug to remain on probation despite outcry over social media post, judge decides

Rapper Young Thug volition stay connected probation, a justice has ruled, contempt a societal media station that prosecutors said identified a pack investigator.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker connected Thursday declined prosecutors’ petition to remand the “Pushin P” creator to custody for allegedly violating the presumption of his probation. The question filed Wednesday evening accused Young Thug — calved Jeffery Lamar Williams — of publicizing the individuality of a instrumentality enforcement researcher and witnesser successful an ongoing “multi-defendant pack murder” lawsuit via societal media.

“Having reviewed the presumption and conditions of [Williams’] probation imposed by this Court, the Court declines to revoke [Williams’] probation based connected the usurpation asserted,” Whitaker said successful the order, reviewed by The Times.

Williams, 33, pleaded guilty to gang, cause and weapon charges successful October, bringing his turbulent RICO proceedings to an extremity aft much than a year. At the time, a Fulton County Superior Court justice imposed a condemnation of 40 years with the archetypal 5 to beryllium served successful prison, but commuted to clip served, followed by 15 years connected probation. If helium were to implicit that probation without immoderate violations, different 20 years would beryllium commuted to clip served. But if helium were to interruption the conditions, helium would person to service those 20 years.

The justice said successful October that, among different presumption of his sentence, Young Thug is not allowed to subordinate with pack members oregon the victims oregon different defendants of the case. He besides cannot beforehand immoderate transgression thoroughfare pack oregon pack enactment and can’t usage manus signs oregon terminology that promotes a thoroughfare gang.

Prosecutors successful their question this week alleged that Williams, since his sentencing, “has engaged successful behaviour that straight threatens the information of witnesses and prosecutors, compromises ongoing ineligible proceedings, and warrants contiguous revocation of probation.”

According to the motion, the tribunal antecedently ordered that the researcher “should not beryllium shown connected tv portion testifying.” A “known blogger” allegedly violated that bid and shared a societal media station revealing the individual’s individuality and appearance, according to a screenshot included successful the motion.

Williams retweeted the blogger’s station connected Tuesday, adding successful his caption the researcher “is the biggest liar successful the DA’s office.” The question besides included a screenshot of the rapper’s post.

Prosecutors claimed the musician’s since-deleted station “quickly went viral,” garnering much than 2 cardinal views and “thousands” of comments and retweets, galore allegedly including “direct threats” to the witnesser and their family. Screenshots successful the question amusement that immoderate X (formerly Twitter) users continued to dispersed the witness’ individuality and idiosyncratic details, including their location address. Another societal media idiosyncratic besides threatened to “personally marque sure” that a authoritative successful Young Thug’s lawsuit “is assassinated,” according to different screenshot.

“The escalation from targeting a testifying witnesser to making a nonstop decease menace against the elected territory lawyer of Fulton County is simply a sedate and unprecedented onslaught connected the justness system,” the question said.

Prosecutors said the latest drawstring of societal media posts is “part of a calculated run of intimidation, harassment and misinformation to undermine the ineligible process” and alleged that Young Thug’s societal media activities “mirror the established tactics of transgression organizations.”

The question added: “[Young Thug’s] probation should beryllium instantly revoked to forestall further harm, guarantee compliance with the law, and nonstop a wide connection that witnesser intimidation and threats against nationalist officials volition not beryllium tolerated.”

Williams and his ineligible squad responded Thursday greeting with a ineligible filing that denied the prosecutors’ allegations and urged the justice to disregard the question with prejudice. The response, reviewed by The Times, distances Williams from the blogger’s post, denies the rapper’s tweet violated the court’s directive oregon presumption of his probation and asserted the threatening posts “cannot beryllium attributed to Mr. Williams successful bid to enactment a usurpation of his probationary sentence.”

“A revocation of Mr. Williams’ probation involves the nonaccomplishment of liberty which is simply a superior deprivation,” the effect added, earlier calling the question “deficient.”

The “Go Crazy” rapper seemingly addressed the allegations against him connected societal media adjacent earlier prosecutors filed their motion.

“I don’t marque treats to radical I’m a bully person, I would ne'er condone anyone threatening anyone oregon decidedly enactment successful threatening anyone,” helium tweeted Wednesday evening, astir an hr earlier prosecutors filed their motion. “I’m each astir bid and love.”

Despite deciding to support Williams connected probation, Whitaker said Thursday day successful her bid that “it whitethorn beryllium prudent for [Williams] to workout restraint regarding definite topics.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.