Lil Wayne, Gun Possession, Florida 2021

Miami, Fl. — In a shocking turn of events, 38-year-old rapper Lil Wayne pled guilty in federal district court to illegally possessing a loaded, gold-plated .45-caliber handgun while traveling to South Florida on a private plane last Christmas season.

According to court documents, an anonymous tip led officers to Opa Locka Executive Airport on December 23, 2019, where Lil Wayne, whose official name is Dwayne Michael Carter, arrived on a private flight from California. Officers spoke with Carter, who told them that he had a gun in his bag. After securing a search warrant, officers looked in the bag containing Carter’s personal items and found a gold-plated Remington 1911, .45-caliber handgun loaded with six rounds of ammunition. The bag also contained personal use amounts of cocaine, ecstasy, and oxycodone.

Prior to December 23, 2019, Carter had been convicted of a felony, which made his possession of the gun and ammunition on that day illegal. Carter’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 28, 2021, at 2:00 p.m., before U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams.

Carter faces up to 10 years in federal prison. This guilty plea is a serious blow to the rapper’s reputation, which has been marred by numerous run-ins with the law in the past.

The investigation into this case was led by the FBI Miami, with assistance from the Miami-Dade Police Department and Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. Marcet is prosecuting the case.

The case number is 20-cr-20222 and can be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov. A copy of the press release is also available on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls.

The defendant’s full name is Dwayne Michael Carter, also known as Lil Wayne. He is facing charges of illegally possessing a loaded, gold-plated .45-caliber handgun.

MANDATORY FACTS: Defendant’s full name: Dwayne Michael Carter; Exact criminal charges: illegally possessing a loaded, gold-plated .45-caliber handgun; City and state: Miami, Florida; Exact date: December 23, 2019; Sentence or outcome: up to 10 years in federal prison.