Young Thug Faces New Charges In Atlanta Street Gang Case

ATLANTA, GA — Atlanta rapper Young Thug is facing six new charges in the RICO Act and street gang case against him and 27 other defendants, according to court records.

A new indictment was filed last week against Young Thug, whose legal name is Jeffery Lamar Williams, accusing him of illegally possessing multiple firearms, including a modified machine gun, in addition to street gang activity and drug trafficking.

The new charges stem from evidence obtained during Williams' arrest at his Buckhead neighborhood home on the original indictment in May.

Martinez Arnold, also known as Duke, and Deamonte Kendrick, also called Yak Gotti, also had additional accusations brought against them, including criminal street gang activity, controlled substances violations, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a machine gun. Kendrick also has been charged with possession of a firearm by convicted felon.

Shannon Stillwell and Quamarvious Nichols were charged with one additional count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon related to the death of Shymel Drinks on March 18.

With the new indictments, the case contains 65 charges against 28 people with six of those charges against Williams. The case centers around Young Slime Life, which prosecutors say is a gang founded by Williams and two others in Atlanta with ties to the national Bloods gang. The indictment accuses those charged with criminal activity dating to 2012.

Williams was denied bond in June when Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville expressed concerns about a threat he made in 2015 about others testifying in court.

Williams' attorney, Brian Steel, maintained the rapper's innocence in a statement to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Wednesday.

"We cannot wait for a trial date," Steel told the paper.

Young Thug is known for featuring on Camila Cabello's 2017 hit "Havana" and his songwriting contribution to Childish Gambino's 2019 hit "This is America," for which he won a Grammy Award for Song of the Year. It was the first hip hop song to win the award.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.