Lil Wayne charged with possession of firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon stemming from 2019 incident
The crime carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison
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Rapper Lil Wayne has been charged with posession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon in the Southern District of Florida, Fox News can confirm.
According to court papers filed on Tuesday obtained by Fox News, the hip-hop star, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., received the charge stemming from an incident that took place "on or about December 23, 2019."
"Dwayne Michael Carter aka 'Lil Wayne' knowingly posessed a firearm and ammunition in and affecting interstate and foreign commerce, knowing that he had previously been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year," the charging papers state.
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The documents state the rapper "shall forfeit to the United States any firearm and ammunition involved in or used in the commission off such offense."
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The maximum penalty for the crime is 10 years' imprisonment.
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Carter's attorney detailed the charge in a statement to Fox News on Tuesday.
"Carter is charged with possession 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. There is no allegation that he is a dangerous person. The charge is that because he was convicted of a felony in the past, he is prohibited from possessing a firearm," attorney Howard Srebnick said.
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His statement continues: "Although the Supreme Court has not yet decided the constitutional question, Justice Amy Coney Barrett recently wrote an appellate dissenting opinion in which she stated that “Absent evidence that he either belongs to a dangerous category or bears individual markers of risk, permanently disqualifying [a convicted felon] from possessing a gun violates the Second Amendment."