Lil Wayne Pleads Guilty in Miami to Federal Gun Charge

Miami, Fl. -- Today, 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.

Ariana Fajardo Orshan, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement.

FBI Miami investigated this case, 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. 

You may find a copy of this press release on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. 

You may find related court documents and information on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 20-cr-20222.

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