T.I. may soon join the ranks of rappers such as DMX, Lil’ Kim, 50 Cent, Biggie Smalls, and many others who have served time in jail.
T.I., who calls himself the King of the South, was sentenced to one year and one day (366 days) in a Georgia prison. The sentencing is a result of T.I.’s plea bargaining a deal for his 2007 felony weapons charge.
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Just four hours before the BET Hip-Hop Awards show on October 13, 2007, T.I. was arrested in an Atlanta parking lot after he allegedly tried to purchase guns from one of his own bodyguards who just happened to be cooperating with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) after he himself tried to purchase guns from an undercover officer. Agents found three firearms in T.I.’s vehicle after the arrest including a loaded firearm by the driver’s seat.
After searching T.I.’s Atlanta home, ATF agents found six guns in a closet, including three that the bodyguard had purchased a month earlier. Of the six guns, five were loaded. Because T.I. was convicted on a 1998 controlled substance charge, his possession of the firearms was in violation of the law.
Yesterday in court, Judge Charles Pannell Jr. praised T.I. for exceeded expectations with his plea deal. As part of the deal, T.I. agreed to do community service and pay $100,000 in fines. So far, he has logged approximately 1,000 hours of community service appearances, but must do 470 more hours to complete the deal. He has also appeared in the MTV reality show “T.I.’s Road to Redemption,” which documents his legal woes in hopes of discouraging teens from taking the same path.
T.I. will have to turn himself in to officials within the next 60 days. The sentence may be reduced to 10 months with good behavior.