Lil Zay Osama Pleads Guilty In Federal Gun Case, Potential Prison Sentence Revealed

BYGabriel Bras Nevares1.8K Views
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Lil Zay Osama was initially charged back in September of 2022, and after various back and forths, he now awaits his sentence.

According to court documents reportedly obtained by XXL on Friday (May 31), Lil Zay Osama and his legal team entered a guilty plea in his federal firearm case on Thursday. For those unaware, this case has been in limbo since September of 2022, after an Uber driver found a Glock with a switch in his car after the Chicago rapper took a ride. He pleaded guilty in Brooklyn Federal Court and still hasn't received a sentencing date, but could face a ten-year maximum or likely a 21 or 27-month sentence given federal guidelines. "I knowingly possessed a firearm that was a machine gun in Queens County on Sept. 29, 2022," Zay reportedly expressed in court according to the New York Daily News. I know that it was wrong and against the law.

Furthermore, this whole incident came about when an Uber driver picked Lil Zay Osama and his colleagues up in Manhattan. He saw him holding a gun and then dropped them off in Queens, and it was after their exit that the driver found a modified Glock 22 .40 caliber with an "auto sear" device that Zay left behind. After the driver notified the cops, they arrested him. But the case took an odd turn later in November, as authorities dismissed the case.

Lil Zay Osama's Guilty Plea

However, things didn't look bright for Lil Zay Osama for long, as in December of 2023, police arrested him on a weapons possession charge and alleged robbery. Then, in January, he received an indictment from a grand federal jury, which included charges of machine gun possession and possession of an unregistered firearm. "I guarantee n***as gone need me before I need them," Zay seemed to respond to these charges on social media. "I’ll be home sooner than you think. Blink n***a [purple devil emoji]."

Meanwhile, now all that's left for him is to wait for his sentence and hope for the best. We hope that this is Lil Zay Osama's last legal obstacle on the way, and that he's able to not just grow from these experiences but turn them into something positive. It may seem small or flat-out warranted to the average reader, but the constance of these circumstances and the places they come from require a much more nuanced conversation. Here's hoping this gets him closer to that discussion in his personal life and beyond.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a music and pop culture news writer for HotNewHipHop. He started in 2022 as a weekend writer and, since joining the team full-time, has developed a strong knowledge in hip-hop news and releases. Whether it’s regular coverage or occasional interviews and album reviews, he continues to search for the most relevant news for his audience and find the best new releases in the genre. What excites him the most is finding pop culture stories of interest, as well as a deeper passion for the art form of hip-hop and its contemporary output. Specifically, Gabriel enjoys the fringes of rap music: the experimental, boundary-pushing, and raw alternatives to the mainstream sound. As a proud native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, he also stays up-to-date with the archipelago’s local scene and its biggest musical exponents in reggaetón, salsa, indie, and beyond. Before working at HotNewHipHop, Gabriel produced multiple short documentaries, artist interviews, venue spotlights, and audio podcasts on a variety of genres and musical figures. Hardcore punk and Go-go music defined much of his coverage during his time at the George Washington University in D.C. His favorite hip-hop artists working today are Tyler, The Creator, Boldy James, JPEGMAFIA, and Earl Sweatshirt.