Rap Superstar Lil' Wayne Caught with Contraband in Prison
Rap star Lil' Wayne is already serving a one-year stint in prison for a gun charge and now he will be charged with an infraction for possession of music contraband, as well.
Lil' Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., was caught in possession of items for an MP3 player during his one-year-sentence on Rikers Island, the New York Daily News reports.
The rap superstar was found with charger for an MP3 player and unauthorized earphones stuffed in the trash in his Rikers Island cell, officials said. The items were a violation of the prison's stern music contraband rule. Inmates can listen to music only on radios and headphones sold at the jail commissary.
In general, contraband is any property that it is illegal to produce or possess.
Contraband confiscated by law enforcement authorities upon the arrest of a person for the crimes of production or possession of such goods will not be returned, regardless of the outcome of the prosecution.
Investigators are trying to find out how Lil' Wayne got the items. Officers said the music player itself turned up in another inmate's nearby cell. That inmate also was charged with an infraction.
As previously discussed, Lil' Wayne pleaded guilty in October to attempted criminal possession of a weapon. The charge stemmed from a 2007 New York traffic stop of his tour bus where a loaded .40 semi-automatic was found in a Louis Vuitton bag.
New York's gun and weapons laws are among the toughest in the country. In that state, simple possession of a concealed handgun carries jail time.
Lil' Wayne, 27, pleaded guilty to second-degree attempted weapon possession, a felony.
Under his plea deal, he was given a reduced 12-month sentence. With good behavior, he could end up spending only about eight months behind bars.