Lil Wayne charged for gun possession; might face decade in prison

Lil Wayne has been charged with a felony for illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition and is facing a decade in prison if convicted.

Documents filed in Southern District of Florida Court on Tuesday alleged that Lil Wayne had a gun with him on his private plane last December, which is a felony since he had previously been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment. The rapper, legal name Dwayne Michael Carter, had told investigators at the time that the gold-plated gun found in the plane on Dec. 23, 2019, was a Father's Day gift, reports NBC News.

Howard Srebnick, a lawyer for the musician, released a statement about the matter and noted there are legal questions about whether possession of a weapon by a felon not judged to be dangerous fits the definition of a crime. The statement read: "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."

The attorney further clarified that there is no allegation that Lil Wayne is a dangerous person, and the charge is solely because he was convicted of a felony in the past, and is therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm. The 38-year-old was convicted for possession of a firearm in New York in 2009, for which he was sentenced to eight months in prison.

The "Lollipop" hitmaker's first court date in the case is set for Dec. 11. The federal offense with which he has been charged carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

The musician was recently in news for his endorsement of outgoing United States President Donald Trump for re-election. Sharing a picture of him and Trump giving a thumbs-up on Twitter, he had written: "Just had a great meeting with @realdonaldtrump @potus besides what he's done so far with criminal reform, the platinum plan is going to give the community real ownership."

The tweet had garnered a lot of criticism, and it was later rumoured that Wayne's girlfriend Denise Bidot has also split from him over his political views. The model clarified that the report is "absolutely false," but indirectly confirmed that the breakup part is true.