Young Thug charged with drug, weapons violations

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Rapper Young Thug is facing more charges a day after federal agents raided his Sandy Springs home.
 
Sandy Springs police and U.S. Marshals Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force serving an arrest warrant searched Jeffery Williams', AKA Young Thug, house in relation to a terroristic threat charge.  Investigators say he threatened to shoot a Perimeter Mall security guard.
 
Sandy Springs police charged the 22-year-old with multiple felonies, including drug and weapons charges.
 
Williams is currently being held at the DeKalb County Jail.

A judge will decide whether to grant bond for Williams later Friday.

Indictment claims Young Thug involved in conspiracy to kill Lil Wayne

Channel 2 Action News has uncovered an indictment filed in Cobb County in June that alleges Williams and another rapper named Bryan Williams, aka Birdman, were involved in a RICO conspiracy to kill Lil Wayne when his tour bus was shot up in April.

https://twitter.com/MPetchenikWSB/status/621489886827122688

The indictment also says all of the men are members of the Bloods gang.

https://twitter.com/MPetchenikWSB/status/621492180469678081

The indictment alleges that Dwayne  Carter (Lil Wayne) and  Bryan Williams (Birdman)  had  a business dispute  concerning  Lil Wayne's contract  with  Cash Money Records.  Lil Wayne owns a portion of the record label. Birdman is one of the co-founders of the record label.

Lil Wayne later dismissed the lawsuit “due to venue issues while problems continued between (Lil Wayne) and (Birdman).”

The indictment says Young Thug sided with Birdman in the contract dispute. Because of the dispute, Lil Wayne's latest album, "The Carter V," has yet to be released.

“(Young Thug) released the next album in the Carter series but changed the name to "Barter VI" by changing the ‘C’ to a ‘B,’” the indictment says.

The indictment alleges that Young Thug made a threat against Lil Wayne and tour bus shooting suspect Jimmy Winfrey carried out that threat.

Winfrey is also known as "PeeWee Roscoe" and affiliated with Rich Gang. Birdman is a part of the Rich Gang rap group which was formed by Cash Money Records in 2013.

The indictment goes on to say that Winfrey was driving the white Chevy Camaro that fired shots at Lil Wayne’s tour buses the night of April 26 after a police escort left the buses.

“After Atlanta Police discontinued  their  escort, (Winfrey) and  fellow Blood Gang members entered Interstate 285 from Atlanta Road in Cobb County in pursuit of  the buses occupied by (Lil Wayne’s) group,” the indictment says. “(That’s when) the white sports car pulled beside the buses, shots were then fired into the buses  from the sports car with a .40 caliber handgun and a 9mm handgun.”

The indictment goes on to say Winfrey had a photo of the Camaro posted on his Instagram account and attempted to erase it following the shooting. The Camaro was later found at the home of one of Winfrey’s relatives.

Young Thug and Birdman have not been charged in the incident.

Winfrey’s next court appearance is Friday.

Winfrey’s Attorneys Want Charges Dropped

Thursday, records obtained by Channel 2’s Mike Petchenik show that attorneys for Young Thug’s road manager, Jimmy Winfrey, have filed motions asking a judge to dismiss the racketeering charges.

“The state has chosen to dramatize the matter,” they wrote of a June indictment that accuses Winfrey of acting “in conjunction with Jeffrey Williams (aka Young Thug) and Bryan Williams (aka Birdman)” in the shooting of Lil Wayne’s tour buses in April.

Prosecutors allege Winfrey appears holding an assault rifle in a Young Thug music video entitled “Halftime,” and allege the lyrics reference attacking Lil Wayne.

“Interestingly,  the music video  was  not  released  until  6/8/15,  which  is  nearly two  months  after  the ‘shooting’ and  nearly  a week after  Mr.  Winfrey  had  turned  himself  in  to  authorities.  Further, the  Defendant  did not say  or sing  anything  on this music  video. Lastly,  there  is no allegation that  any  of the  purported  victims  of the  Terroristic  Threats  ever saw this video  or felt  terrorized  after  seeing  said  video,” the motion reads.

The motion also claims prosecutors misinterpreted the lyrics, and that they make no threat to harm Lil Wayne.

“The lyrics  mix past and  present  tenses,  but the future tense  is  not involved.  The speaker's  identity  is  unclear. Since ‘Halftime’  does  not  make any statements  about  what  Jeffrey  Williams  is  going  to  do  in  the  future, it cannot be a threat.”

Winfrey’s attorneys also argue prosecutors are engaging in “selective prosecution,” by singling out their client but not bringing charges against either Birdman or Young Thug.

“Bryan Williams  made threats  to  shoot  Dwayne  Carter  on his Instagram account  five  days prior  to  the  shooting,” the motion claims.  “Likewise,  Jeffrey  Williams had  issues  with Dwayne  Carter.  Jeffrey  Williams made threats to  shoot  Dwayne  Carter  on a music video  prior  to  the  shooting.”

The motions claim their actions make them “parties to the crime.”

“The  State  has,  nevertheless,  failed to  charge Bryan  Williams  and  Jeffrey  Williams,  and  this action  is  without any  reasonable explanation,” they wrote.

The Cobb County District Attorney's office told Channel 2 Action News it is too early to say whether anyone else will be charged.

WSBTV