Lil Wayne pleaded guilty to a federal weapons charge in a South Florida court on Friday afternoon.
According to the Associated Press, the 38-year-old rapper entered the plea during a hearing held remotely. “Your honor, I plead guilty to the charge,” Wayne told U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams.
A sentencing date has been set for January 28th, 2021. The charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years, but Judge Williams said she would impose a sentence that is “reasonable under the circumstances” of the case. Wayne was released on $250,000 bail pending sentencing.
In November, Lil Wayne was charged with one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon stemming from the discovery of a firearm aboard his private plane in December 2019.
An anonymous tip led federal authorities to search Wayne’s aircraft upon its arrival to Miami-Opa locka Executive Airport on December 23rd. According to a search warrant obtained by the Miami Herald, inside the rapper’s bag, agents reported finding a gun, along with bullets, suspected cocaine, ecstasy, marijuana, heroin, pain killers, prescription-strength cough syrup, and $26,000 in cash.
In an ensuing interview, Wayne acknowledged that the gun was his, and that he received it as a Father’s Day gift. Despite the admission, authorities allowed him to leave the scene as they continued their investigation.
Lil Wayne was previously convicted in 2010 of criminal possession of a weapon after a semi-automatic firearm was found on his tour bus in New York. He was sentenced to one-year in prison at Riker’s Island, but was released after eight months.
