Rapper T.I. was officially sentenced in Atlanta court today (March 27) to one year and one day in prison and was ordered to pay a $100,300 fine on weapons charges.
“I would like to say thank you to some, and apologize to others,” said T.I. at his sentencing, according to CNN.com.
“In my life, I have been placed in the worst-case scenario and had to make the best of it,” he said. “Most often, things I have learned have been from trial and error. I knew no way to protect myself than to arm myself.”
The rapper was also sentenced to some property forfeiture, supervised release for three years following his prison sentence, 365 days of home confinement and 1,500 hours of community service. To date, T.I. has completed 305 days of home confinement and 1,030 hours of service. He could possibly be released from prison in as little as 10 months because of a plea deal he received. The plea deal will allow T.I. to qualify for credits that will reduce his sentence.
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In addition, he must also “undergo DNA testing and drug counseling, cannot own firearms and must submit to reasonable searches and a financial audit.”
T.I. was arrested in October 2007 in an Atlanta parking lot mere hours before he was set to headline the BET Hip Hop Awards.His arrest came as the result of a federal sting operation after his bodyguard (at that point working as an informant) delivered three machine guns and two silencers to him.
The rapper,who was not allowed to own any weapons due to a 1998 felony drug charge conviction, was arrested.
T.I. will be taken into custody no earlier than May 19, and his CNN interiew is available in HipHopDX‘s Video section [click to view].
Additional Reporting by Danielle Harling.
