Young Thug has secured a major legal victory in Georgia, as a Fulton County judge has cleared the way for the Atlanta rapper to reclaim cash, cars, and jewelry seized in connection with his high-profile YSL RICO case. According to Law Commentary and HotNewHipHop, Judge Paige Reese Whitaker’s ruling and a subsequent order now require the state to return roughly $145,000–$150,000 in cash, multiple luxury vehicles, and dozens of pieces of jewelry by a court-imposed deadline, marking a significant win for the artist and his legal team.[2][3]
The seized property dates back to a May 9, 2022 search of Young Thug’s home, when prosecutors first brought sweeping RICO charges alleging his YSL collective functioned as a violent street gang.[2] According to Law Commentary, the items include a Chevrolet Corvette, a Jeep Grand Cherokee, a Dodge Durango, and a Can-Am Spyder motorcycle, along with 72 pieces of jewelry.[2] In August 2025, Judge Whitaker dismissed the state’s civil forfeiture complaint, stating on the record that “the court has no option under the case law and the statute but to grant this dismissal,” a line also quoted by Billboard and reiterated in multiple reports.[2][3]
After that dismissal, the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office moved to keep the assets, filing an appeal and arguing that delays in the forfeiture process were caused by the defense.[1][3] Deputy District Attorney Jeff DiSantis reportedly criticized the ruling, telling Atlanta’s Fox affiliate that prosecutors were “perplexed” the case was dismissed based on a timeline the defense itself had requested, and signaling the state was “evaluating the case…for possible appeal.”[1][2] However, HotNewHipHop reports that Young Thug’s lawyers later filed a motion to dismiss the state’s appeal, which was granted, resulting in a new order that the property be returned by a specific deadline, identified in shared court documents as 5 p.m. on January 9.[3]
This property decision arrives after Young Thug, born Jeffery Williams, resolved the underlying criminal case with a plea deal in October 2024. According to Law Commentary, he pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy under Georgia’s RICO Act, received time served plus 15 years of probation, and avoided an immediate additional prison term through a “backloaded” sentence structure that only activates if he violates probation.[2] The asset ruling does not erase the conviction, but it substantially weakens the state’s long-running effort to hold on to his seized wealth and could influence how civil forfeiture is handled in future high-profile rap cases in Georgia.[1][2][3] As Young Thug works to rebuild his life and career post-trial, reclaiming his property represents both a financial boost and a symbolic step in closing one of the most contentious chapters of the YSL saga.
