Meek Mill Found Guilty of Parole Violations, Faces Prison Time in 2016

Meek Mill will have a possible prison sentence looming over his head this holiday season.

The rapper was in a Philadelphia court room today (Dec. 17) to take the stand in front of Judge Genece Brinkley in order to address his recent parole violations, the Associated Press reports. The rapper stressed that he was a changed man and "things are different now."

He seemingly spoke from the heart: "I don’t wanna be a criminal. I’m not a gangsta. But I’m not a perfect man … I have the potential to be greater than I am today." Meek even brought his girlfriend Nicki Minaj into the mix, which WHYY Philadelphia reporter Bobby Allyn revealed. "I walk around with Queen Nicki. Things are different now. I act different. I walk different. I can be the biggest rapper in the world," the Maybach Music Group signee shared.

According to the judge, Meek repeatedly ignored travel restrictions and other rules she set for him. She considered his actions a "technical violation." “I bent over backwards so he can have free range to grow his career… It didn’t work out,” Judge Brinkley said in court.

In the end, the judge found him guilty of parole violations. As a result, she prohibited the Dreams Worth More Than Money creator from performing -- even in his hometown of Philadelphia -- before a Feb. 5 hearing. Apparently the only thing he is allowed to do is community service.

In the Spring 2015 issue of XXL Magazine, the 28-year-old MC opened up about his views on Judge Brinkley when she sentenced him to six months in prison last year.

"This judge, she don’t play no games, so a second’s like a month to her," he stated. "What I took from it, [the judge] just seen me acting in a certain manner and being a certain way, which she viewed me in that I wasn’t supposed to be in [while] on probation, and I got locked up. Then I seen what she saw. I couldn’t see it until I actually was locked up. I was going through stuff with people on Twitter, talking back and forth…she kind’ve seen that. They see that world too, you know what I’m saying? I think she recognized it, and I kind’ve think it saved me really. I think it was the best thing that happened to me at that time.

"See what it is, like, a lot of people don’t understand that and I ain’t really understand that, but the judge I got, she really got a super high potential for me. And you know, I wasn’t really looking at it that way. Certain people’s judges, they don’t care about you, they just send you back to jail. She actually worked with me but as a rapper, [and] sometimes, they could see things in a certain way."

In 2008, the "Lord Knows" rhymer was convicted of gun and drug possession. After being sentenced to 11 to 23 months in prison, he was released in 2009. However, he didn't stay in the judge's good graces. The rapper, born Robert Williams, was found in violation of his probation after he continuously scheduled concert performances, which was prohibited. In 2012, his travel permit was revoked, but that didn't stop him from moving around without reporting his moves to his probation officer. Last year, his probation was officially revoked, which lead to a prison stay from July to December.

After news spread of Meek Mill's parole violations, Chris Brown sounded off on the justice system in America. "wish the judge could see the influence meek mill can have out of jail more than in it.Y'all wanna lock him up but what about FREDDIE GRAY?" he tweeted. "The system is set on bullshit. The DAs and JUDGES get just as high as the next man and fuck people's lives up!"

If another prison bid is in Meek's future, at least he'll get to spend Christmas at home.

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