Update: T.I. Indicted On Guns Charges, Adds High Profile Lawyers To His Defense Team.
A federal grand jury today (October 17) indicted T.I. on three federal gun charges.
As reported earlier, T.I. was arrested at a shopping center parking lot in midtown Atlanta on Saturday (October 13) while trying to purchase a machine gun and two silencers from his bodyguard.
During the arrest, his Atlanta home was searched and six guns were found.
T.I. would be denied bond on Monday (October 17) by a federal magistrate who ordered that the Atlanta bred rapper should remain in custody until a hearing on Friday (October 19), where he will determine whether T.I. will be released on bond until his trial.
According to The Atlanta Journal Constitution, T.I’s indictment charges him with possessing unregistered machine guns and silencers; unlawfully possessing machine guns; and of being a convicted felon in possession of firearms.
If convicted, he faces five or more years behind bars.
The rapper has reportedly added two more high-profile lawyers to his defense team, Ed Garland and Don Samuel, whose past clients include NFL star Ray Lewis and millionaire investor James Sullivan.
T.I. was initially represented by Dwight Thomas and Steve Sadow. The rapper will now have all four lawyers backing him.
The fact that the T.I. has a prior crack-conviction felony will make it difficult for his defense team to win a bond for him. Federal prosecutors want to keep the rapper detained until the beginning of his trial, which could be months away.
