Rapper Lil Wayne faces up to 10 years behind bars after pleading guilty to illegally possessing a firearm, prosecutors have said.
Wayne, 38, was found with a loaded, gold-plated .45 caliber handgun in his baggage aboard a private plane last December.
The plane had landed at an executive airport near Miami.
The rapper was previously found guilty of a felony crime, prohibiting him from having the weapon or ammunition.
Prosecutors from the US Attorney’s office for the Southern District of Florida said in a written statement that police had received an anonymous tip that the rapper was carrying the firearm.
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The star told U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams during a virtual hearing in Miami federal court: “Your honor, I plead guilty.”
TMZ reports that police found: “a gold-plated Remington 1911, .45-caliber handgun loaded with 6 rounds of ammunition” during their December 2019 search.
The outlet adds: “they also claim they found a bag containing personal use amounts of cocaine, ecstasy, and oxycodone.”
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The New York Post states that the star: “was not arrested, but was later charged with with one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.”
Howard Srebnick, the last known lawyer representing Wayne,
whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter, did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters news agency.
Wayne is scheduled to be sentenced on January 28.
(Image: WireImage)
TMZ reported on its website on Friday that Wayne reached a plea deal with prosecutors in exchange for leniency, but ultimately his sentence is up to US District Judge Kathleen Williams.
The rapper has previously spent a year in jail following a 2009 court case in which he pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon while he was in New York.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk