Rock singer Matthew Shultz of Cage the Elephant takes jail-free plea deal for illegal guns in NYC hotel

Singer Matthew Shultz of Grammy-winning rock band Cage the Elephant took a jail-free plea deal on illegal weapons charges for having two loaded guns in his Manhattan hotel room earlier this year, a Manhattan district attorney spokeswoman said Friday.

Shultz was busted on Jan. 5 when cops found two loaded .45-caliber pistols in his room at the Bowery Hotel in the East Village. An employee saw him pull a gun from his pocket inside a lobby bathroom and called the cops, according to police and the criminal complaint.

“Matt is grateful for the opportunity to put this behind him and he looks forward to moving on with his future,” his attorney Sam Talkin said, declining to comment further.

Shultz, 39, of Nashville, Tenn. took a plea deal in Supreme Court on Friday morning, conceding to felony charges of attempted criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a firearm, along with a misdemeanor charge of criminal possession of a weapon, according to the DA spokeswoman.

If the singer has no run-ins with the law for the next year, he’ll be able to withdraw his plea on the felony charges. He would then be sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge for the misdemeanor charge, dodging any prison time.

If he gets arrested he faces up to seven years in state prison, the DA spokeswoman said.

Cage the Elephant won best rock album Grammys two times, in 2017 and 2020 for “Tell Me I’m Pretty” and “Social Cues.”