Lil Wayne has been charged with one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, and could face 10 years in prison.
The US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida has charged rapper Lil Wayne with one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, as reported by TMZ. If convicted, Lil Wayne could face up to 10 years in jail.
The charge can be traced back to a December 2019 incident when, based on an anonymous tip, federal authorities searched Lil Wayne‘s private plane upon arrival in Miami and found a firearm.
According to a detailed report by the Miami Herald, the rapper had suspected cocaine, marijuana, pain killers, prescription-strength cough syrup, ecstasy, heroin, and $26,000 in cash, along with a gun and bullets in his bag.
Wayne later admitted to the gun being his property in an interview, but was let go by authorities while they investigated.
Following news of the charge, Wayne’s attorney, Howard Srebnick, issued a statement: “[Lil Wayne] is charged with possessing a gold-plated handgun in his luggage on a private plane. There is no allegation that he ever fired it, brandished it, used it or threatened to use it.
“There is no allegation that he is a dangerous person. The charge is that because he was convicted of a felony in the past, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm.” Sebrick said.
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“Although the Supreme Court has not yet decided the constitutional question, Justice Amy Coney Barrett recently wrote an appellate dissenting opinion in which she stated that ‘Absent evidence that he either belongs to a dangerous category or bears individual markers of risk, permanently disqualifying [a convicted felon] from possessing a gun violates the Second Amendment.'”
In 2010, after a firearm was discovered on his tour bus, Lil Wayne was convicted of criminal possession of a weapon and sentenced to one-year in prison. He was, however, released after eight months.
