Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis suffered a significant legal defeat Tuesday when a jury acquitted two remaining defendants in a sprawling racketeering case centered on Atlanta’s Young Slime Life (YSL) gang.

The case, which initially garnered national attention for its inclusion of prominent rapper Young Thug, ended after nearly two years with only one conviction out of dozens of charges for the last two accused.

The defendants, Deamonte Kendrick — known in the music world as Yak Gotti — and Shannon Stillwell, were cleared of all charges except one.
Stillwell was convicted of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon according to NBC News. Both men had faced charges under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute, including allegations of murder and conspiracy.

Prosecutors accused Kendrick and Stillwell of being involved in violent crimes dating back nearly a decade. The most serious allegations included their roles in the 2015 drive-by shooting of Donovan Thomas Jr., an alleged rival gang member, and a separate 2022 murder linked to gang violence.
Willis had positioned the case as a critical step in curbing gang-related violence in South Atlanta. Her office argued that YSL operated as a criminal enterprise tied to the national Bloods gang. In addition to high-profile defendants like Young Thug, the case implicated dozens of individuals and garnered widespread attention for its use of rap lyrics as evidence of alleged gang affiliation.