One of the co-defendants in Young Thug's long-gestating YSL RICO trial has accepted a plea deal following speculation everything was potentially pointing toward a mistrial.
As reported by Rolling Stone, 29-year-old Quamarvious Nichols pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate Georgia's RICO act on Tuesday, Oct. 29. As a result of accepting the plea deal, six other counts against him including a murder charge were dropped. He has since been sentenced to seven years behind bars followed by 13 years of probation, a significant drop from the life sentence he was facing.
"Stay out of all kinds of trouble," Superior Court Judge Paige Whitaker told Nichols at the sentencing. "Make this a birthday present to yourself, to your wife and your family," Whitaker added, referring to Nichols' upcoming 30th birthday. Nichols' legal team maintained his innocence in regard to charges accusing him of violence but acknowledged that he was involved in two "drug events" in 2017-2018. Nichols was accused of murdering alleged YFN Lucci associate Shymel Drinks in 2022. He is not required to testify against his former co-defendants in the trial, which is now the longest in Georgia history.
Including Young Thug, there are now five remaining co-defendants in the case. They have all been accused of being involved with the 2022 murder of Drinks. Thug has pleaded not guilty to the eight charges he is facing in the 65-count RICO indictment.
Earlier this month, Judge Paige Reese Whitaker indicated that she could grant a mistrial without prejudice due to a mistake made by prosecutors. It's unclear if the plea deal for Nichols will impact the potential for a mistrial.
One of the former defendants in the case, Wunnie Lee, read a portion of an Instagram post to the jury, which included the hashtag #FreeQua, which was supposed to have been redacted. Nichols' defense had the hashtag excluded, because they argued that it would suggest their client was previously incarcerated for a different crime. While prosecutors said it was unclear who 'Qua' was, the jury isn't permitted to know if Nichols, or co-defendant Marquavius Huey, is incarcerated.
"The jury has repeatedly heard about Mr. Nichols being in jail, being in prison. And you cannot unring that bell. We would ask for a mistrial," said Nichols' attorney, Nicole Westmoreland. "It is painfully obvious that the state is not prepping their witnesses."
