Rapper Meek Mill pleaded guilty to possessing a gun without a proper license Tuesday in Philadelphia.
All other charges against the rapper were also dropped, according to a report published by NBC Philadelphia. Meek Mill and prosecutors reached a plea agreement that eliminated the probation the rapper has been under. He has become active in prison reform after technical violations of parole sent him back to prison for five months.
BREAKING: @MeekMill has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge to resolve a case that’s kept him on probation for most of his adult life. He won’t spend any more time in prison. https://t.co/dyXryOL7wA
— The Associated Press (@AP) August 27, 2019
“I know this has been a long road for you and hopefully this will be the end of it,” Judge Leon Tucker told the rapper, according to the Associated Press.
The new plea deal comes a month after a Pennsylvania appeals court overturned Meek Mill’s conviction due to incredibility of the testifying witness. In the rapper’s case, the judge was also accused of bias after sending Meek back to prison over minor probation violations. (RELATED: Meek Mill Reacts To News Of New Trial And 2008 Conviction Being Thrown Out)
Meek Mill has always admitted to having a gun during the traffic stop, but denied pointing the gun at police or selling drugs.
I have always told the truth — that as a teenager, who saw many around me die from senseless gun violence, I carried a gun for protection. I take responsibility for that and – in conjunction with my work on the @REFORM Alliance –
— Meek Mill (@MeekMill) August 27, 2019
Since his arrest in 2007, the rapper has become an advocate for criminal justice reform and plans to continue to use his platform to help others.
“I have always told the truth — that as a teenager, who saw many around me die from senseless gun violence, I carried a gun for protection,” Meek tweeted. “I take responsibility for that and – in conjunction with my work on the @REFORM Alliance – I’ll continue to use my platform to make communities safer and reform our criminal justice system.”