MIAMI — Rapper Lil Wayne pleaded guilty on Friday to a federal charge that he illegally possessed a weapon despite being a convicted felon.
The 38-year-old musician, born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., was accused of carrying a gold-plated .45-caliber Glock handgun and ammunition while traveling on a private plane in 2019, The New York Times reported.
Lil Wayne was charged last month with one count of possessing a firearm as a felon on Dec. 23, 2019, the newspaper reported. The rapper had been convicted of a gun charge in 2007 and spent eight months in prison, Billboard reported.
“Your honor, I plead guilty,” the musician told U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams during a virtual hearing in a Miami court.
Lil Wayne faces up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced on Jan. 28, according to WTVJ. He is free on $250,000 bail but had to surrender his passport, according to The Associated Press.
Authorities last year said that in addition to the gun -- which Lil Wayne claimed he had received as a Father’s Day gift -- they found cocaine, ecstasy, marijuana, heroin, painkillers and prescription-strength cough syrup, along with nearly $26,000 in cash, the Times reported.
He was not charged with any drug offenses.
The artist’s lawyer, Howard Srebnick, said he considered a motion to suppress the search of the plane as a violation of Lil Wayne’s constitutional rights, the AP reported. However, Lil Wayne said, he wanted to accept responsibility, Srebnick said.
“I must say I thought it was a very viable motion. He has decided not to pursue a motion to suppress,” Srebnick told the AP.