In latest twist in Young Thug trial, rap star's co-defendant agrees to plea deal

A co-defendant in the racketeering and gun conspiracy case against Atlanta rapper Young Thug accepted a plea deal Tuesday after days of speculation over whether Georgia's longest-running criminal trial may end in a mistrial.

Quamarvious Nichols, 29, changed his plea to guilty for conspiracy to violate Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, statute. In exchange, Fulton County prosecutors agreed to dismiss all other charges against him, including for murder, participation in gang activity and illegal firearms possession.

Superior Court Judge Paige Whitaker accepted the plea and a negotiated sentence of 20 years in prison but noted he would only have to serve seven years with probation, including credit for time served.

"Stay out of all kinds of trouble," Whitaker advised Nichols, who is set to turn 30. "Make this a birthday present to yourself, to your wife and your family."

Meanwhile, the trial is expected to resume for Young Thug, the Grammy-winning rapper whose real name is Jeffery Lamar Williams, and the four other co-defendants.

The latest twist comes after Whitaker said last week that she would consider a motion for a mistrial following a prosecutorial misstep involving Nichols.

During testimony a week ago from state witness Wunnie Lee, a rapper known as Slimelife Shawty, prosecutors had him review social media posts in front of the jury. But Lee was inadvertently given an unredacted version of a post that referenced the hashtag #freequa, which may apply to Nichols. The post was redacted for the jury.

But by naming Qua, prosecutors allowed the jury to presume that the co-defendants are incarcerated, a detail that is not supposed to be shared because it’s considered prejudicial.

“We’re not going to be able to unring this bell, your honor,” Nicole Westmoreland, a lawyer for Nichols, said in asking for a mistrial.

A reason for why Fulton County prosecutors agreed to a plea deal with Nichols now — more than two years since the initial indictment was announced against him and the other co-defendants — was not discussed in court Tuesday.

Young Thug and the others have been jailed since 2022 on charges of conspiracy and criminal street gang activity and additional firearm- and drug-related charges.

The indictment accuses Young Thug, 32, of leading a street gang, Young Slime Life, or YSL, with members committing illegal and violent acts, including murder, armed robbery, drug dealing and carjacking. Twenty-seven other co-defendants were also initially named — an unusually high number for a case.

Young Thug performs in 2018.Scott Dudelson / Getty Images

The trial began with jury selection in January 2023 but dragged on through multiple delays.

Opening statements finally began last November after several defendants had already taken plea deals while others chose to be tried separately from Young Thug.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis had presented the case against Young Thug and his associates — accused of being affiliated with the national Bloods gang — as a way to combat the unrelenting violence in their south Atlanta neighborhood.

The defendants have denied they are part of a street gang and critics contend the RICO law is being unfairly used against Black hip-hop artists.

The county’s prosecutors, meanwhile, are also involved in a separate case that has similarly stalled against former President Donald Trump on state racketeering charges related to the 2020 election.