A judge ordered Georgia to return Young Thug’s cars and $149K after YSL RICO trial ends with acquittals, marking a defeat for Fani Willis.
A Georgia judge has ordered state authorities to return Young Thug’s luxury cars and more than $149,000 in cash that investigators seized during the YSL RICO investigation that ended in a major defeat for prosecutor Fani Willis.
Judge Paige Reese Whitaker ruled Wednesday that the state must return most items seized from the Atlanta rapper, including a 2022 Chevrolet Corvette, a 2022 Porsche 911, three Mercedes-Benzes, a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee, a 2018 Lamborghini, a Can-Am Spyder, jewelry, and $149,000 in cash by Friday at 5 p.m.
The ruling came after Young Thug’s attorney, Brian Steele, argued that Georgia failed to hold a civil forfeiture hearing within the required 60-day time limit following the rapper’s October 2024 plea deal, which ended the state’s longest-running criminal trial.
Judge Whitaker added that the state provided no legal authority to retain custody of the property after the forfeiture complaint was dismissed.
Young Thug was released from prison on October 31, 2024, after pleading guilty to one gang charge, three drug charges, and two gun charges while entering no-contest pleas to racketeering conspiracy and another gang charge.
The rapper received a 40-year sentence but was immediately released on time served after spending over two years in jail awaiting trial, with 15 years of probation and strict conditions including staying away from metro Atlanta except for specific family events.
The YSL case began in May 2022 when Willis announced indictments against Young Thug and 27 others, alleging they operated a violent street gang called Young Slime Life connected to the Bloods.
Prosecutors claimed the gang was responsible for multiple killings and that Young Thug’s record label, Young Stoner Life, was tied to criminal activities.
Several co-defendants took plea deals before Young Thug’s surprise guilty plea, including rapper Gunna, who accepted an Alford plea in December 2022 that allowed him to maintain innocence while acknowledging prosecutors had sufficient evidence for conviction.
The case concluded in December 2024 with the final two defendants, Deamonte Kendrick (Yak Gotti) and Shannon Stillwell, being acquitted of nearly all charges, including murder, dealing Willis a crushing blow after Georgia’s longest criminal trial ended without securing any murder convictions.
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