Young Thug pleaded guilty during the trial

Thursday Young Thug pleaded guilty to a number of charges in his long racketeering trial.

The 33-year-old “Pick Up the Phone” rapper, whose real name is Jeffrey Williams, was arrested in 2018 (Read here), pleaded guilty to several charges that led to the longest criminal trial in Georgia history.

He pleaded guilty to one charge related to gang activity, three drug-related charges and two firearms-related charges, the AP reported.

Young Thug pleaded innocent to another gang-related charge and a racketeering conspiracy charge.

The musician, who won a Grammy for Song of the Year for his contributions to “This Is America” Of Childish Gambinodid not reach a deal with prosecutors, meaning the judge overseeing the case decided his sentence.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker gave the musician a 40-year sentence. He should have served the first five years of his sentence in prison, but the judge commuted these five years to preventive detention.

Now the musician must serve 15 years of probation, which could be the end of his sentence if he doesn’t commit any infractions. In case of violations, however, he will have to serve another 20 years of probation.

“I learned from my mistakes, you know. I came from nothing, I did something and I didn’t take full advantage of it. I’m sorry,” the rapper said in court.

The saga began when Thug was arrested in May 2022. There, he was charged with conspiracy to violate Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and participation in criminal street gang activity. Later, in August 2022, the rapper was charged with six other crimes, including drugs and firearms. He was tried alongside five other defendants who were indicted alongside him.

The lengthy trial also saw an unusual episode, when Young Thug’s lead defense attorney, Brian Steel, was found in contempt of court after refusing to reveal a source of information to the judge in June.

Earlier in the week, three of the other defendants – Rodalius Ryan (aka Lil Rod), Marquavious Huey (aka Qua) and Quamarvious Nichols (also alias Qua) – agreed to plea deals, the AP reported. All three defendants will serve their sentences in prison in exchange for other charges being dropped.