A co-defendant in the ongoing Young Thug gang and racketeering trial has had his murder charge dropped.
Quamarvious Nichols, 29, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute. In exchange, Fulton County prosecutors dismissed all other charges against Nichols, including murder, participation in gang activity and illegal firearms possession charges, according to Rolling Stone.
Superior Court Judge Paige Whitaker accepted the plea and the negotiated sentence of 20 years in prison. Whitaker advised Nichols that he would serve seven years with probation, including credit for time served.
“Are [you] acknowledging a factual basis to count one, the RICO count?” Whitaker asked Nichols as he stood next to his lawyer, Bruce Harvey, and entered his guilty plea.
“We categorically deny and contest any use of violence by Mr. Nichols,” Harvey said. “We don’t agree to the underlying factual basis. […] Those two predicate acts […] committed by Mr. Nichols […] are sufficient to meet the elements of the offense to which he’s pleaded to, which is a RICO conspiracy.”
“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.”
AllHipHop reported this could clear the way for another co-defendant to take a similar deal in the prosecutor’s case, which is already the longest-running criminal trial in Georgia history.
The trial against Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffrey Williams, will continue and is projected to end in mid-2025.
