Lil Wayne Cops a Plea Bargain in Arizona Case
Lil Wayne is currently serving time at Rikers Island on a weapons conviction, but from behind bars, the Young Money honcho has managed to dodge another case. The 27-year-old emcee recently entered a plea agreement via satellite video feed to prosecutors in Arizona's Yuma County Superior Court on drug and weapon charges, stemming from an arrest in January 2008 after police found four ounces of marijuana, an ounce of cocaine, 41 grams of Eecstasy and a firearm on his tour bus.
Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Carter, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a dangerous drug, a move that could grant him court clemency. In exchange for copping a plea to the drug count, the court dismissed the charges of possession of a narcotic drug for sale, possession of drug paraphernalia and misconduct involving weapons. Superior Court Judge Mark Wayne Reeves will sentence Weezy on June 30, but the rapper is expected to only receive 36 months of probation that he will begin serving when he is released from Rikers Island.
The Arizona court issued Wayne a bench warrant in March after he failed to make his initial court date, but the Grammy winner couldn't attend as he was already serving time at the New York City penitentiary.
His NYC sentence stems from a 2007 incident outside of Manhattan's Beacon Theater where, after cops searched for marijuana and found a firearm, arrested the rapper for illegal gun possession. Wayne began serving his sentence at the New York prison in March 2010 after several delays on account of dental surgery and a bizarre fire in the courthouse. He was initially sentenced to one year in prison with the possibility of getting out after eight months on good behavior, but Wayne complicated the situation when a Rikers Island employee found him in possession of a contraband MP3 player, headphones and charger.
Wayne's seventh album, 'Rebirth,' was released this past February, earning a gold certification for sales upwards of 500,000 copies. His collaboration album with his crew, 'We Are Young Money,' was released in December 2009, and has also received gold certification.