Lil Wayne Charged With Possession of Firearm and Ammunition, Faces Up to 15 Years in Prison

Lil Wayne could be facing some major prison time stemming from a 2019 incident at a Florida airport.

According to a report from TMZ on Tuesday (Nov. 17), 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. The charge stems from a December 2019 incident, in which Lil Wayne's plane was searched by federal agents at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport. The rapper was a passenger on the private plane, which stopped in Florida prior to arriving to its destination in California.

If Wayne, who already has a felony conviction for a gun charge from his 2009 arrest in New York, is convicted, he can face up to 15 years in prison. According to Florida Statute § 790.23, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon is a second-degree felony. The penalties include up to 15 years in prison (with a three-year minimum sentence if you were in actual possession), a $10,000 fine and up to 15 years of probation.

TMZ reports that Wayne could face up to 10 years, however, Florida's “10-20-Life” law requires courts to impose a minimum sentence of 10 years, 20 years or 25 years to life for certain felony convictions involving the use or attempted use of a firearm or destructive device, according to Florida Statute § 775.087. In this case, Wayne reportedly did not use the gun in the commission of a forcible felony like firing it or brandishing it.

In a statement given to XXL by Lil Wayne's attorney, Howard Srebnick, he maintains the rapper's charge is due to a gold-plated gun found inside luggage.

"Carter is charged with possessing a gold-plated handgun in his luggage on a private plane," Srebnick says. "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."

The attorney's 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.'"

Lil Wayne is reportedly due back in court next month.

Following the news of Wayne's gun and ammo charge, 50 Cent posted on Instagram, poking fun at Weezy's recent support of President Trump.

"Wait a minute Trump still got 63 days left, call him wayne. get that fool on the phone. ‍♂️they gonna try to put you in jail for supporting trump. ," Fif wrote.

XXL has reached out to the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Lil Wayne's team and his attorney for a comment on this matter.