Rapper Lil Wayne pled guilty in federal court to illegally possess a firearm, prosecutors said on Friday, and he faces up to 10 years in prison.
Wayne, 38, was found on 23 December 2019 with a loaded, gold-plated .45 calibre handgun in his baggage aboard a private plane that 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 U.S. Attorney`s office for the Southern District of Florida said in a written statement that police had received an anonymous tip that Wayne was carrying the firearm.
A search warrant said the father-of-four told investigators the gun was a Father’s Day gift.
He entered the plea during a hearing held remotely before U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams.
“Your honor, I plead guilty to the charge,” Carter told the judge.
The federal charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years, but likely Carter will get far less time than that, according to reports. He is free on $250,000 bail but had to surrender his passport.
Carter’s lawyer, Howard Srebnick, said he considered a motion to suppress the search of the plane as a violation of the rapper’s constitutional rights.
“I must say I thought it was a very viable motion. He has decided not to pursue a motion to suppress,” Srebnick said.
The Miami U.S. attorney’s office also said in the news release that investigators found small amounts of cocaine, ecstasy, and oxycodone in a bag belonging to Carter, but he was not charged with any drug crime.