Boosie Badazz has pleaded guilty to a federal count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, in a case that he once believed was dismissed.
The rapper appeared in court on Tuesday (August 26). He is scheduled to be sentenced on November 21. Per his plea agreement, the government is asking for a 24-month prison sentence, though the decision will ultimately be up to the judge. The maximum sentence for the charge is 15 years.
The situation stems from the 42-year-old rapper’s arrest in May, 2023 after he was seen on Instagram with a gun while he was in San Diego. Police later arrested him after using a helicopter to track the vehicle he was in, conducting a traffic stop, and finding two guns inside.
The rapper originally faced state charges for the incident. His initial plan was to plead guilty, with the expectation that he would be sentenced to probation. Instead, the case ended up being dismissed before the plea deal could be reached, and federal prosecutors picked it up instead.
Then, there was a second twist. Last year, the case was dismissed after an appeals court ruling saying it was unconstitutional to prevent convicted felons who served sentences for nonviolent drug charges from being in possession of firearms.
After he thought it was dismissed, Boosie left the courthouse in tears and explained how he felt to Courthouse News.
"This situation made me see who was down with me and who wasn’t," he said. "Ninety percent of people thought I was going to prison, but God had a different plan."
That dismissal, however, wasn't the end of the story. Federal prosecutors re-filed the case, and a larger panel of the appeals court overturned its initial ruling. At that point, Boosie decided to plead out.
"JUST ACCEPTED A PLEA FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ON MY GUN CASE," he wrote on X earlier this month. "I THOUGHT THIS CASE WAS OVER N I WAS GOING TO GET ON WITH MY LIFE BUT 'GOD DONT MAKE MISTAKES' N IM TIRED OF FIGHTING."
"TALKED TO MY FAMILY N THIS IS THE RIGHT DECISION," he continued. "TO ALL MY FANS ACROSS THE WORLD SAY A PRAYER FOR YA BOY N GO GET THE NEW ALBUM #wordsofarealone."
While Boosie was understandably upset at the turn of events, one person who celebrated the news was internet media personality Charleston White, who addressed the situation on Instagram Live.
"Boosie really thought he wasn't going to jail for that pistol. I knew he was going," White said. "I couldn't wait to celebrate."