LIL WAYNE PLEADS GUILTY TO FEDERAL WEAPONS CHARGE
BY: CaraG @exclusivelycarag
Rapper Lil Wayne, whose real name is Dwyane Carter, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm – a federal offense in which he could face up to 10 years in prison.
“Your honor, I plead guilty.” He told U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams during a virtual hearing. FBI Miami investigated this case with assistance from the Miami-Dade Police Department and Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. Marcet is prosecuting the case.
Last year, according to court documents, an anonymous tip led officers to Opa Locka Executive Airport, where Carter was caught carrying a gun and bullets when police searched his private airplane. Carter’s lawyer, Howard Srebnick, claimed he suggested to file a motion to suppress the plane’s search as a violation of the rapper’s constitutional rights. Carter said he wanted to accept full responsibility. The charge originates from a weapons conviction Carter had in New York more than a decade ago. He was sentenced to eight months in prison. Convicted felons are banned under federal law from possessing firearms.
Williams set a Jan. 28 sentencing date. In state court, if you plead guilty, you get the deal. In this case, Carter is in federal court in which there is no mandatory minimum, and he only has one prior gun charge. The charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years, but Carter would likely get far less time than that. He is now out on a $250,000 bail but had to surrender his passport.
Lil Wayne has sold over 120 million records, won five Grammys and many other music awards. He established his own record label, Young Money Entertainment, in 2005, following a renegotiation with the artist’s label, Cash Money Records. Recently, Lil Wayne sold the entire Young Money catalog that included rappers Nicki Minaj and Drake’s music to Universal Music Group for $100 Million.
