Rapper Young Thug, who has been incarcerated for over a year awaiting his significant organized crime trial, has shared a mysterious message on Instagram.
The encrypted message, sent on Friday, directed fans to a countdown clock set to reach zero on Wednesday. Accompanied by the caption “BUSINESS IS BUSINESS,” the post sparked curiosity.
Young Thug’s latest album, titled “Punk,” was released in 2021.
The jury selection process for the trial has surpassed all previous records in Georgia’s history. It has been marred by multiple arrests, charges, and disruptions. Recently, a Fulton County deputy was arrested on allegations of an “inappropriate relationship” with a defendant.
Christian Eppinger, one of the defendants, was removed from the case after authorities seized his attorney’s laptop. Eppinger’s lawyer, Eric Johnson, stated that the state believes his client used the laptop to communicate with Akeiba Koren Stanley, a Fulton deputy who faces charges of hindering apprehension or punishment of a criminal, violation of oath by a public officer, conspiracy to commit a felony, and reckless conduct.
A hearing is scheduled for June 21, and Johnson mentioned the possibility of his client being charged as a co-conspirator in the incident.
Recently, several court-appointed defense attorneys expressed concerns about their meager wages and excessive workloads. In response to the mounting pressure and the trial’s high-profile nature, the Georgia Public Defender Council increased the attorneys’ flat rate from $15,000 to a maximum monthly increase of $55,000. Angela D’Williams, one of the attorneys, even sent a subpoena to the agency’s head to discuss the payment issue.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville presides over Young Thug’s RICO trial. Young Thug’s real name is Jeffery Williams.
Williams is facing eight criminal counts under the federal Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) law, originally enacted in 1970 to combat organized crime. The law allows prosecutors to establish connections between seemingly unrelated crimes with a common objective and prosecute them as a pattern of racketeering.
RICO also entails harsher penalties and enables a defendant to be convicted and separately punished for the underlying crimes constituting a racketeering pattern.
While Georgia has its own RICO law, unlike the federal law, it does not require the alleged criminal enterprises to have existed for a prolonged period of time.