9lokkNine will spend the next seven-plus years behind bars.
According to legal documents reviewed by Click Orlando, the 21-year-old Florida rapper—legal name Jacquavius Smith—was sentenced to 87 months in prison Wednesday after pleading guilty to possession of an unregistered firearm, aggravated identity theft, and felon in possession of a firearm.
9lokkNine was indicted on federal firearm charges back in February, after he was accused of possessing an unregistered semiautomatic rifle that he hid inside his grandparents’ garage. He was also charged with fraudulently applying for the federal Paycheck Protection Program and receiving more than $10,000 in funds intended for small businesses struggling to stay afloat during the pandemic. Though the PPP money was deposited into 9lokkNine’s personal bank account, investigators say he used another person’s identity for the application. Authorities managed to recover more than $7,000 of those illegally obtained funds.
In addition to his prison sentence, the rapper was also ordered to pay $10,416 in restitution. The court also hit him with three years of supervised release, during which he must enter a drug treatment program.
9lokkNine’s criminal history goes all the way back to 2015, when he was charged with aggravated battery with a firearm and unlawful discharge of a firearm. Since then, he has faced a number of legal problems, including multiple drugs- and weapons-related charges. He was also charged with racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering in connection to an Orange County, Florida gang war that unfolded last year. His racketeering trial will reportedly begin in March 2022.
He is also awaiting trial for an attempted second-degree murder charge stemming from a July 2020 shooting. According to Click Orlando, 9lokkNine fired a gun into a home occupied by a woman and her children. Police say 9lokkNine was targeting a rival rapper and that no one was injured during the incident.
