Atlanta prosecutors filed a complaint Wednesday to revoke the probation of Jeffrey Williams-born rapper Young Thug, citing a social media post calling local gang investigators “the biggest liar in the DA office.”
Williams said he would “engage in conduct that directly threatens the safety of eyewitnesses and prosecutors, compromise on ongoing legal proceedings and ensure immediate revocation of probation,” according to a filing in Falton County Court.
In addition to drug and weapons accusations, Williams, 33, pleaded guilty to participating in criminally-assault activities late last year, ending his role in a vast assault trial that became the longest criminal lawsuit in Georgia history. (Two of the six former defendants in the trial who refused a plea bargain were found not guilty of murder and conspiracy in violation of the RICO Act.)
At the judge's discretion, Williams, who faced up to 120 years in prison if convicted, was sentenced to 15 years of probation if he violated the agreement. The strict conditions of probation banned Williams from Metro Atlanta for 10 years. He had to undergo a random search and drug test. And it could complicate his career as a tour rapper by instructing him to promote gangs and refraining from ties with known members.
In response to a prosecutor's submission on Wednesday, Williams' attorney Brian Steele said in a statement: “The motion is unfounded. The threats and threats of violence are by no means appropriate, but Jeffrey Williams has done nothing wrong.
The allegations followed a previous Twitter X post by Williams on Tuesday. This included a photograph of Fulton County investigator Marissa Viverito, who was a witness at Williams' trial and testified at a preliminary hearing in another gang murder case that includes multiple defendants. The court ordered Viverito not appear on the video while testifying.
In addition to a post called “liar,” Williams reposted a fan account showing an additional photo of the investigator with the caption “All my buddies hate viverito.” Both posts were then deleted.
Prosecutors said the post “leaded thousands of comments and retweets, many of which included direct threats to investigator Viverito and her family.”
“This is not an isolated case. It is part of a calculated campaign of blackmail, harassment and misinformation designed to undermine the legal process,” the District Attorney's Office said in its filing, but did not cite any additional details. “This ongoing manipulation of public awareness through social media is intended to hamper justice, silence witnesses and threaten those who enforce the law.”
District Attorney Willis said in a local news interview that the threat to law enforcement is “all about gang activities.”
Williams replied in an X post Wednesday night that he had pose no threat to anyone.
Since its release on October 31st, the rapper has mostly chosen to lie down low and has not released any new music of his own. In rare releases and as a guest in a single music video, he appeared only while covering his face with a mask. However, Young Thug is scheduled to perform at multiple summer music festivals that will begin on June 22nd in Illinois.
Williams and his frequent collaborators began to promote something with inexplicable bullying alone, using the phrase “uy scuti,” a red supermassive star.
