UPDATE: Lil Wayne's representatives have provided us with the following statement from his attorney Howard Srebnick:
"Carter is charged with possessing 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.
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's private jet was searched in December 2019 where the feds found weapons, ammunition, and more. It took a long time but the rapper has officially been charged in relation to the incident and, from the looks of things, he could be facing a touch stint in prison.
The rapper has been charged with 1 count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, which could result in a harsh sentence for him should he be proven guilty.
If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.
The incident happened one year ago. Wayne was a passenger in a plane that was traveling to California, making a pit stop in Florida, where they got searched. According to TMZ, Wayne's attorney Howard Srebnick said at the time that the rapper had been "cleared" to leave after the guns, ammo, and drugs were found. However, the feds seem to have done an about-face, now saying that he could have been wrongfully in possession of firearms and ammo as a convicted felon.
We'll keep you posted on any developments in this case.
HotNewHipHop has reached out to Lil Wayne's representatives for a statement on this new charge. You can read his attorney's statement up above.