A firm “no” was handed down on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2009, by the judge in the case to the argument presented by the rapper claiming that the gun was found during an unjustified stop and search of his Maybach sports car after a July 2007 concert.
Prosecutors countered that the stop was justified because the car had a suspended registration and no insurance — a curious epidemic among hip-hop’s current and former elite.
Ja did get one break; the judge threw out the rapper’s statement to police that he had a bit of marijuana in his pocket. There is no charge for drug possession. So, he ends up being charged with the gun minus the smoke.
If convicted, he faces up to four years in prison and would be in good company, as he’d be following in the footsteps of some of his industry cohorts (T.I., Lil Wayne, etc). –gerald radford
