Young Thug has reportedly scored a major legal win in the aftermath of the YSL RICO case, as a Georgia judge has ordered authorities to return the rapper’s seized cars and approximately $149,000 in cash following the trial’s conclusion and related acquittals. According to reports, the ruling comes out of Fulton County, Georgia, and marks a setback for District Attorney Fani Willis’ office, which spearheaded the sprawling gang and racketeering prosecution against Young Thug and his YSL associates.[1][2]
The YSL RICO saga, built around allegations that Young Thug—born Jeffery Williams—co-founded a violent street gang known as Young Slime Life, formally wound down in early December 2024 when the last two remaining defendants, Deamonte “Yak Gotti” Kendrick and Shannon Stillwell, were acquitted of racketeering, murder, and most gang-related charges by a Fulton County jury.[1][2][4] According to the Los Angeles Times and Axios, the verdicts ended what has been described as the longest-running criminal trial in Georgia history.[1][2] Young Thug himself had already secured his release in October 2024 by entering a non-negotiated guilty plea to gang, drug, and firearm charges, which resulted in time served, probation, and a 10-year ban from metro Atlanta.[1][2][4][5]
The financial ruling reportedly targets assets that were seized at the height of the state’s RICO push, when Willis’ office used Georgia’s anti-racketeering law to bring a sweeping 65-count indictment against Young Thug and 27 co-defendants in May 2022.[2][5] Prosecutors leaned heavily on rap lyrics and social media posts to argue that YSL functioned as a criminal enterprise, a strategy that drew national scrutiny and sparked debates across the hip-hop community and legal world about the use of creative expression as trial evidence.[1][2][6] With the case now closed and key defendants acquitted, the court’s order to return Young Thug’s money and vehicles underscores how much of the state’s original theory failed to translate into convictions for an alleged criminal organization.
While Young Thug remains on strict probation terms, the return of his seized property is being viewed as an important symbolic and financial victory for the Atlanta star, whose career was put on hold throughout the years-long legal battle.[1][4][5] The outcome further intensifies scrutiny on DA Fani Willis’ broader use of RICO in high-profile prosecutions, and it will likely fuel ongoing conversations about artist rights, prosecutorial power, and the future of rap-lyrics-as-evidence in American courtrooms.[1][2][6]
