Lil Wayne Hit With Federal Weapons Charge, Faces Max Sentence of 10 Years If Convicted

Lil Wayne was a passenger on a plane that stopped off in Florida last December, at which point it was searched. Now, Weezy has been charged.

November 17, 2020

This is a photo of Lil Wayne. — Image via Getty/Jeff Kravitz
Getty

Lil Wayne has received a federal weapons charge in connection with a December 2019 plane search in Florida.

Per TMZ, who reported on the charge on Tuesday afternoon, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida has charged Weezy with one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. If convicted, the sentence could be as high as 10 years. A court appearance is slated for December.

With the plane's search, which occurred ahead of its final stop in California, Miami-Dade police were acting on what the Miami Herald said at the time was "a tip about weapons and marijuana." Federal agents were alerted in order to secure a search warrant to give the private plane a look at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport.

In a statement to Complex on Tuesday, Weezy's attorney Howard Srebnick explained that his client has been charged for "possessing a gold-plated handgun" in his luggage while traveling on the plane. Srebnick also highlighted the fact that there is "no allegation that he is a dangerous person."

Here's the statement in full:

50 Cent couldn't wait for an opportunity to address Wayne. On Instagram, he told him to try and get Trump on the phone before he leaves office.

In 2009, Weezy—whose 2020 creative output has included Funeral and the non-album singles "Thug Life" and "NFL"—pleaded guilty to a felony gun charge and ultimately served eight months.