T.I. Pleads Guilty to Weapons Charges, Plea Details Emerge

As expected, T.I. pleaded guilty to three federal weapons charges in a federal courtroom in Atlanta earlier this afternoon. According to the Associated Press, the rapper stood before the judge in a gray suit and accepted responsibility for the charges of possession of an unregistered firearm, possession of machine guns and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Under the terms of his plea agreement, he will serve one year in prison and will be required to complete 1500 hours of community service, which will consist of him speaking to youth groups about the pitfalls of guns, gangs and drugs. He will only be sentenced to the prison time after he has successfully completed 1000 hours of the community service over the course of a year. Following his year long prison term, Tip will still be subject to three years of supervised release, which will include one year of home detention, plus a $100,000 fine. Should he fail to adhere to the terms of the deal, he will face a much more severe prison term. Had T.I. maintained his innocence and been convicted at trial, he would have faced a ten year sentence and $250,000 fine on each count. In a statement released after the plea by the U.S. Attorney’s office, prosecutors expressed satisfaction over the outcome of the case and noted the value of having a high profile entertainer like T.I. working to help reduce crime.