After coming under fire earlier this month for throwing his support behind Donald Trump’s re-election campaign, Lil Wayne faces even more bad news this week. Federal prosecutors have filed charges against the Funeral rapper which could land him in prison for up to 10 years, according to TMZ. Stemming from a December 2019 search of his private plane at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport, Wayne’s been charged with possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. Wayne was convicted of attempted criminal possession of a weapon in 2009 after a 2007 arrest in New York City for having a .40 caliber pistol in his bag.
Howard Srebnick, Wayne’s attorney, said at the time of the 2019 incident that Wayne was “cleared” to leave the airport despite federal agents finding the guns, but it appears that prosecutors are now following through on the procedure. As a felon, Wayne wouldn’t have been allowed to carry firearms for any reason; while the agents in question may not have felt they had reason to arrest him, apparently, the court is going by the letter of the law in this case. Wayne previously eight months in prison due to his 2007 arrest after being sentenced to a year on Riker’s Island. Things could get worse this time around, although Srebnick maintains that Wayne never “fired it, brandished it, used it or threatened to use it” with regard to his current handgun charge.
50 Cent, who previously mocked the backlash against Wayne for supporting Trump, again trolled the younger rapper on Instagram upon learning of his predicament, writing, “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.”