Meek Mill will not get his 2008 gun conviction dismissed, as he has decided to make a plea deal.
Meek and his team had previously tried to avoid a retrial after the original conviction was thrown out, however he appeared in court on Tuesday to plea guilty to misdemeanor possession of a firearm without a license, according to TMZ. The remaining six charges for which he was originally convicted were all dropped. Additionally, Meek had been found guilty of seven charges back in 2008, four of which were related to the gun.
During the hearing, he stated “I’m extremely grateful that my long legal battle is finally behind me and I appreciate that it has sparked a much-needed discussion about probation reform and the inequalities that exist within our two Americas,” he said. “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.”
He continued, “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.”
As for a trial, Meek could have had one if he wanted to, however it appears that he was looking to put this legal drama behind him. It is also likely that he would have won the case, since the key witness turned out to be a dirty cop and the trial would have taken place more than a decade after the alleged crime.
The rapper even spoke to the public after he left court, thanking his supporters and others who came out on Tuesday. He said that he was not on probation anymore, as confirmed by the D.A. in Philadelphia.
Whatever Meek’s logic, he now has some of his legal drama behind him.
