Rapper Lil Wayne has been charged in Miami federal court with possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. If convicted, the maximum penalty is 10 years in prison. The charge, brought by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, was filed in connection with an incident last year in December when, as the Miami Herald wrote, the rapper flew to Miami on a private jet which was searched by federal authorities who found drugs and a gun on the plane.
The first Miami federal court appearance for Lil Wayne is scheduled for December 11th.
The rapper served a year in prison over 10 years ago after a 40-caliber semi-automatic handgun was found on his tour bus in July 2007. The rapper pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon.
Federal law bans convicted felons from possessing firearms and ammunition.
Lil Wayne’s attorney Howard Srebnick provided this statement to SPIN:
Carter 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.
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.”
Lil Wayne recently released the Thursday Night Football anthem “NFL.” Listen to the song here. Weezy also appeared at the White House with Donald Trump prior to the election to endorse his platinum plan.
