In the final hours of his presidency, President Donald Trump announced early Wednesday that he pardoned rapper Lil Wayne, and commuted the sentence of fellow hip-hop artist Kodak Black, both of whom were convicted in Miami of weapons-related charges.
The president pardoned Lil Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Carter, a little more than a month after the rapper pleaded guilty to illegally possessing a gold-plated pistol aboard a private jet in Miami. Lil Wayne, 38, was facing several years in prison at his Miami federal court sentencing in early March.
His pardon had long been expected. In the waning days of his presidency, Trump has pardoned or commuted the convictions or sentences of dozens, including many high-profile political allies. During the election season, Lil Wayne was one of the few prominent hip-hop artists to voice support for the polarizing president, tweeting a photo of the two together in October.
Lil Wayne, who at the time was publicly under federal investigation, praised Trump for “what he’s done so far on criminal reform.”
Nineteen days after that photo was posted, a Miami grand jury indicted Lil Wayne. Last month, the rapper entered a guilty plea to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
Trump also used his executive powers to grant clemency to Black, a South Florida rapper, by commuting his nearly four-year sentence. Black, 23, does not share Lil Wayne’s fame, but he also pleaded guilty to a weapons-related charge.
Credit: miamiherald.com
The post Trump grants clemency to rappers Lil Wayne, Kodak in gun-related cases appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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