T.I. Sentenced To A Year And A Day

ATLANTA – Rapper T.I. was sentenced Friday to one year and a day in prison after pleading guilty to federal weapons charges after he tried to buy a stash of machine guns and silencers to protect himself after his best friend was killed.

The 28-year-old rapper, whose real name is Clifford Harris, will also pay a $100,000 fine as part of his sentence. He was arrested in 2007 after trying to buy unregistered machine guns and silencers.

He pleaded guilty last March to the federal weapons charges but wasn’t sentenced until Friday as part of a deal to see if he would be successful in performing community service by speaking to youths about the pitfalls of drugs, violence and guns.

“Today, I would like to say thank you to some, and apologize to all,” the rapper told U.S. District Judge Charles Pannell Jr., who handed down the sentence.

He is supposed to report to prison sometime after May 19. He already has completed about 1,000 hours of community service and will need to complete 470 additional hours. He had faced a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count.

Upon his release, Harris will be on probation for three years. He also will be credited for 305 days of home detention he already has served and must serve an additional 60 days, authorities said.

As for his sentence, being as it is (just) more than one year long, he will be eligible for early release, should his good behavior warrant it. Had his sentence been one year or less, he would have been required to serve the duration of the time behind bars.