Rapper Lil Wayne pleads guilty in federal court on Friday for illegally possessing a loaded firearm while traveling on a private jet to Miami.
Read More: Lil Wayne facing 10 years in prison after being charged with possession of a firearm
According to TMZ, federal agents received an anonymous tip that led them to Wayne’s private jet at the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport on Dec. 23, 2019. When they began searching the plane, Wayne admitted he had a gun in his bag.
The feds found a gold-plated Remington 1911, .45-caliber handgun loaded with 6 rounds of ammunition. They also claim to have found a bag containing drugs such as cocaine, ecstasy, and oxycodone.
In a virtual hearing in Miami federal court, the 38-year-old rapper told U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams, “Your honor, I plead guilty.”
Wayne, who was convicted of a felony gun charge in New York back in 2009, faces up to 10 years in prison at a Jan. 28 sentencing hearing before the same judge.
As reported by the Miami Herald, it’s unclear how much time the New Orleans-bred rapper will actually serve. Sentencing usually ranges from one year to two years with acceptance of responsibility, however, his criminal history will be a potential factor in his punishment.
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This isn’t the only legal issue Lil’ Wayne is facing this holiday season.
According to court documents obtained by XXL, Wayne’s ex-manager, Ronald Sweeney, is suing for $20 million after being “deprived of their unpaid management commissions.” He officially filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Court on Thursday, Dec. 10.
The lawsuit states that Sweeney was hired as Lil Wayne’s personal manager in 2005 after he successfully set him free of a “terrible contractual arrangement” with Cash Money Records. Sweeney claims he renegotiated Wayne’s deal, securing a new recording agreement, as well as the return of his publishing rights, merchandising rights and touring rights.
Sweeney’s other responsibilities included managing the Young Money Entertainment record label and the other YM business entities.
In 2013, Sweeney made an agreement not to abandon Wayne while he dealt with his departure from Cash Money Records over legal and financial issues. They agreed he would “receive 10 percent of the settlement proceeds from litigation, in perpetuity, as well as 10 percent of all proceeds from the sale of any master recordings owned by the Young Money Label (“Young Money Masters”) in addition to the 10 percent of other earnings that Plaintiffs [Ronald Sweeney and his Avant-Garde Management company] were supposed to receive at that point), in exchange for Plaintiffs’ continued management of him [Lil Wayne].”
In 2015, Sweeney represented Wayne when he sued Universal Music Group and SoundExchange for unpaid royalties. In May of 2018, he successfully settled with Cash Money, Universal Music Group, and SoundExchange.
Wayne fired Sweeney just four months later.
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As of 2020, Wayne has since sold his Young Money Entertainment masters to UMG for over $100 million. According to Sweeney, once he was terminated, Wayne “failed and refused” to pay any of the outstanding commissions.
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