A witness under pressure
A key state witness told an Atlanta jury he has no personal knowledge that Young Thug had anything to do with a pivotal killing at the heart of the YSL RICO case. Antonio “Mounk Tounk” Sledge, who took a plea deal in late 2022 that requires him to cooperate, said under cross-examination that he cannot say Jeffery Lamar Williams — the rapper’s legal name — committed the murder of Donovan “Nut” Thomas Jr. in 2015. Pressed a second time — “in any fashion?” — he answered the same way: no.
Sledge’s testimony, spread over multiple days, swung between the state’s narrative of an organized street gang and the defense’s pushback that YSL is a music label and creative collective, not a criminal enterprise. He aligned himself with the latter in plain terms, telling jurors he does not view YSL as a gang. That point goes straight to the core of the case: prosecutors say Williams led a criminal street gang called Young Slime Life; the defense says it’s Young Stoner Life, a rap brand and a business.
Defense attorneys Brian Steel and Max Schardt used their time to drill into Sledge’s incentives and state of mind when he agreed to cooperate. Sledge described Fulton County Jail as “dangerous and filthy,” and said the conditions weighed on him while his case was pending. He added that, at the time, his mother was very ill, and he was helping care for eight children. He didn’t have money for a lawyer. Those details mattered to the defense, which has argued that many cooperators in RICO cases sign to escape immediate harm and uncertainty, not because they’re eager to tell a clean story.
Schardt pushed Sledge on a document he signed that said he wasn’t under pressure. Did he feel pressured anyway? “Yes,” Sledge said. Asked whether he felt forced to accept the deal, Sledge tried to draw a line: “I wouldn’t say I was intimidated. I just feel like it was forced on me at the time.” Who did the forcing? “The state,” he said, explaining that when he tried to change terms, “they wouldn’t change them.”
The defense also questioned the state’s shifting view of Sledge’s risk profile: why was he labeled dangerous at arrest but not after he signed? Prosecutors often recalibrate risk once a defendant pleads and agrees to conditions, but the defense used that gap to suggest convenience rather than consistency.
What the jury heard from Sledge boiled down to a few points:
- He denies personal knowledge that Williams had any role in the killing of Donovan Thomas.
- He describes YSL as something other than a gang, echoing the defense view.
- He says Fulton County Jail conditions and family responsibilities weighed heavily on his plea decision.
- He felt pressured to sign documents stating he wasn’t under pressure.
Each point matters. Jurors will weigh whether Sledge’s cooperation makes him more credible — because he faced consequences if he lies — or less credible, because he had strong reasons to tell prosecutors what they wanted to hear. That credibility fight is a RICO staple. Cooperators can be the spine of a case or a built-in reasonable doubt.
What’s at stake in the YSL RICO case
Georgia’s RICO law lets prosecutors frame a series of acts as part of a single criminal enterprise. In the YSL indictment, the state alleges a years-long pattern of crimes and names 191 overt acts to show the group’s existence and purpose. Williams is tried alongside five co-defendants — Rodalius Ryan, Deamonte “Yak Gotti” Kendrick, Marquavius Huey, Shannon Stillwell, and Quamarvious Nichols — before Judge Paige Reese Whitaker in Fulton County Superior Court. The RICO conspiracy sits next to dozens of other counts, including two murder charges and three attempted murders in the broader case.
The killing of Donovan “Nut” Thomas in 2015 anchors much of the story told by the state. Prosecutors say the shooting set off retaliatory violence and that YSL members took part. The defense says the state is stitching together music, fame, and neighborhood ties into a gang narrative that doesn’t hold up. That clash played out again through Sledge. When asked point-blank about Williams and Thomas, he rejected the idea that he had firsthand knowledge linking the rapper to the murder. For jurors, firsthand proof carries more weight than hearsay or reputation.
Another running battle in this trial is the use of rap lyrics and music imagery. Prosecutors argue they can show intent or corroborate behavior when tied to specific acts. Defense attorneys argue lyrics are art and exaggeration, not confession. Judges typically allow some lyrics if the state can show a tight fit to alleged conduct, but jurors are warned to be cautious. That fight matters here because YSL is both a brand and a target of the state’s gang theory.
Plea deals are another live wire. Sledge’s agreement from December 2022 requires cooperation — standard language in racketeering cases. But juries also learn that cooperators hope for lighter sentences. That duality is the point of cross-examination: defense lawyers highlight pressure and benefits; prosecutors highlight accountability and the risk of perjury if a witness lies. When a witness like Sledge says he felt “forced,” it feeds defense narratives about coercion. At the same time, his admission that nobody intimidated him directly complicates any simple claim of duress.
Sledge’s personal circumstances may resonate. A sick mother. Eight children relying on him. No money for a lawyer. And, he testified, a jail he called “dangerous and filthy.” Fulton County Jail has faced public scrutiny before, and conditions in any jail can push defendants toward certainty over trial risks. Legally, though, a plea must be voluntary, knowing, and intelligent. Courts often rely on signed paperwork and open-court colloquies to prove that. That’s why the defense zeroed in on the “I wasn’t pressured” form and Sledge’s explanation for signing it anyway.
Apart from credibility, the witness’s view of YSL itself is a big deal. If jurors believe YSL is a music business — a record label, a talent hub, a crew — the enterprise element of RICO looks weaker. If they believe it’s a gang with hierarchy and purpose beyond music, the state’s case looks stronger. Sledge’s statement that he doesn’t see YSL as a gang won’t decide the issue, but it punctures a core claim and offers the defense a line to repeat in closing.
The courtroom rhythm shows how both sides are thinking about the endgame. The defense wants to separate Williams from the most serious violence and cast YSL as an artistic project. Prosecutors want to show a pattern: messages, acts, and alliances that add up to a criminal enterprise. That’s why the question “Do you have personal knowledge?” matters. It sets the bar for what counts as proof against a single person inside a sprawling conspiracy.
Judge Whitaker will eventually instruct the jury on how to consider cooperator testimony, plea benefits, and alleged acts that involve multiple people. She’ll also remind them that the state must prove the RICO conspiracy beyond a reasonable doubt and that each defendant’s guilt stands alone. Until then, testimony like Sledge’s does the heavy lifting, piece by piece.
What happens next? More witnesses, more cross-examinations, and likely more arguments over how far the state can go tying lyrics, symbols, and social ties to specific crimes. Defense lawyers may file motions to limit certain evidence or ask the judge to strike testimony if they think the state overreaches. Prosecutors will try to shore up Sledge’s account with documents, messages, or other witnesses who can place people, cars, or weapons in the right place at the right time.
For now, jurors are left with a few simple but sharp impressions from Sledge. He says he can’t link Williams personally to the Donovan Thomas murder. He says he felt squeezed into a plea, even while acknowledging he signed a form saying he wasn’t. He says YSL isn’t a gang. In a RICO trial, those aren’t just stray comments — they go to motive, method, and the very existence of the enterprise the state says it can prove.