President Trump grants clemency to rappers Lil Wayne, Kodak Black in Miami gun-related cases

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.

On Tuesday night, after his final full day in office, Trump granted clemency to over 100 people, including his former top-adviser, Steve Bannon, who was awaiting trial on allegations he misused donations from Trump supporters aimed at building a border wall.

In Lil Wayne’s case, local and federal authorities discovered the weapon, which was loaded with six rounds of ammunition, during a search of the jet on Dec. 23, 2019, at the Opa-Locka Executive Airport. The rapper was not arrested at the scene, but instead was allowed to leave with the rest of his entourage. At the time, he had a waterfront mansion on upscale Allison Island in Miami Beach.

Lil Wayne’s defense attorney, Howard Srebnick, praised the president’s pardon. Srebnick said his decision was “consistent” with a dissenting opinion in a recent felony gun-possession case by former federal appeals court judge Amy Coney Barrett, who was nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court by Trump and confirmed in October.

“A pardon for Mr. Carter is consistent with the views of many jurists — including Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett — that prosecuting a non-violent citizen for merely possessing a firearm violates the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,” Srebnick said in a statement. “The gold-plated firearm, which Mr. Carter never operated, is a collector’s piece, given to him as a Father’s Day gift.”

Lil Wayne, in theory anyway, could still face state weapons charges. The investigation was conducted by Miami-Dade Police’s narcotics bureau, in addition to federal agents. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2019 affirmed that defendants can be prosecuted for the same offense in both state and federal court — and presidential pardons do not extend to state convictions.

The president’s statement on pardons and commutations released early Wednesday said Lil Wayne “has exhibited this generosity through commitment to a variety of charities, including donations to research hospitals and a host of foodbanks.”

The statement also cited the support of former NFL football star Deion Sanders, who said the rapper is “a provider for his family, a friend to many, a man of faith, a natural giver to the less fortunate, a waymaker, [and] a game changer.”

Trump granted Lil Wayne a full pardon.

In Black’s case, a Miami federal judge sentenced the local rapper to three years and ten months, far less than the maximum 10-year sentence he could have received. He’s served about half of his sentence.

The president’s statement said he had the support of “numerous religious leaders,” as well as former New York City Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik, Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson and rappers Gucci Mane, Lil Pump and Lil Yachty. He also had the support of school-safety activist Hunter Pollack, the brother of Meadow Pollack, one of the shooting victims of the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland.

Trump’s statement said Black “became deeply involved in numerous philanthropic efforts” and supports charitable efforts that help the families of slain police officers and needy school children.

Black, whose legal name is Bill Kapri, pleaded guilty in August 2019 to lying on a background form when he purchased handguns at a Hialeah weapons store that January, and again in March of that year, when he attempted to buy more guns. He apologized to the court as well as to his family and friends.

Black admitted he gave false statements on the mandatory Firearms Transaction Record. The form asks applicants if they are facing an indictment for a felony that could result in being sent to prison for more than a year.

At the time, Black remained under indictment on charges of criminal sexual conduct in South Carolina, a case from 2016 in which he was facing a potential maximum 30-year sentence.

But the rapper said he had no felony charges when he filled out the background form to buy guns at Lou’s Police Distributors in Hialeah.

Federal prosecutors said one of the handguns was later used in shooting targeting a rival rapper in Pompano Beach, a case that remains unsolved.

“Young people do stupid things and I normally give them a break for that,” Miami U.S. Judge Federico Moreno told Black in November 2019 when he sentenced him for the weapons case. “The problem is that you have been doing stupid things since 15.”