Young Thug's Lawyer Speaks Out After More YSL Members Take Plea Deals

Young Thug's lawyer doesn't seem to be a fan of all the plea deals that have been made recently.

According to an interview 11Alive recently published, Brian Steel asserted that his client is an "easy target" for authorities who are working out deals with the multiple people who are named in the 56-count indictment that was filed against the rapper and YSL back in May. Since Gunna was released last week, other YSL members like co-founder Walter Murphy, artist Lil Duke and SlimeLife Shawty have all made plea deals to secure their release from jail. Steel claimed that the deals are part of coordinated effort by the prosecution.

"He's like the easy target," Steel explained. "So, somebody gets arrested and gets in trouble and they want to deal. Law enforcement officers are all too eager to say, 'Well, tell us about Mr. Williams. Is he involved in this? What do you know about him?' That's the problem with this case. It’s coming from the word of people who are getting deals to say, 'Yeah, he was there or I saw him around or he gave the order or I heard from someone else. He gave the order.' That's what this case is about. Oh, you're not going to hear any confession of Jeffrey Williams."

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Lil Duke, born Martinez Arnold, got five drug and gun charges dropped in exchange for his guilty plea on one count of conspiracy to violate Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act in Georgia and one count of participation in criminal street gang activity. Upon his release, Duke was able to get two years of his 12-year sentence commuted. He'll get to serve the rest of the 10 years on probation in his home state of California.

Meanwhile, SlimeLife Shawty, born Wunnie Lee, took the same route as Gunna and entered an Alford plea, which allows him to plead guilty for his own best interest while also maintaining his innocence. He was sentenced to 10 years after pleading guilty as a first-time offender to one count of conspiracy to violate the RICO act. Following his release, the Atlanta-native clarified that he did not have to snitch to get out of jail.

Young Thug has had a couple of hearings since Gunna's release. He is expected to go to trial beginning in January. See footage of his latest court hearing below.