Rapper T.I. pled guilty to federal firearms charges last Thursday and received the deal of a lifetime. T.I. was already a convicted felon which bars him from owning any firearms under any circumstances. So when he was caught trying to purchase fully automatic machine guns with silencers in Atlanta some months back, he was looking at serious time.
He pleaded guilty to possession of an unregistered firearm, possession of machine guns and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Harris was arrested Oct. 13, just blocks away and hours before he was to headline the BET Hip-Hop Awards in Atlanta.
He was charged with possession of unregistered machine guns and silencers, as well as possession of firearms by a convicted felon. He faced a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count.
The judge apparently felt that T.I. could do more for the community as a free man than beyond bars for decades and agreed to a sweet plea deal. In return for a guilty plea, T.I. must spend 1500 hours talking to kids about the perils of gangs, guns, and gangsters, followed up by 1 year in prison.
His prison time could be increased or reduced, depending on his fulfillment of the terms of the deal and good behavior, they said. If he acts right he could be back on the street in about 8 months, so all things considered T.I. is getting a second lease on life.
If he’s smart he’ll spend his year in prison writing a few new albums and then come out with some hit records. Let’s hope he makes the best of this legal miracle he’s been blessed with.
-Chris Jones
