Here is the story:

Rapper T.I. was expected to plead guilty Thursday to federal weapons charges and will face prison time, according to two people familiar with his case.
The 27-year-old singer, whose real name is Clifford Harris, was expected to be sentenced to 1,500 hours of community service talking to youth groups around the country, followed by about 12 months in prison, according to two people familiar with the negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity because the plea deal had not been finalized yet Thursday morning.

His prison time could be increased or reduced, depending on his fulfillment of the terms of the deal and good behavior, the two people familiar with the negotiations said. His talks to youth groups are supposed to be about the pitfalls of guns, gangs and drugs.

The U.S. Attorney in Atlanta announced a change-of-plea hearing was scheduled Thursday afternoon at the federal courthouse. Prosecution officials were expected to speak to the media after the hearing.

U.S. District Judge Charles Pannell Jr. must approve the deal.

Harris was arrested Oct. 13, just blocks away and hours before he was to headline the BET Hip-Hop Awards in Atlanta.

He was charged with possession of unregistered machine guns and silencers, as well as possession of firearms by a convicted felon. He faced a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count.

Harris was allegedly trying to buy unregistered machine guns and silencers. He initially pleaded not guilty, and has been under house arrest since he was released on $3 million bond Oct. 26.

Well…I gotta say that he is pretty lucky to be getting off with this kind of deal. It could’ve been waaaaaaaaaay worse, but since he has the money for big time attorneys he was able to get off with only 12 months. HOPEFULLY he will learn to step away from this whole thug lifestyle and focus on being a n upstanding citizen and not doing anything to jeopardize his ability to care for his family.  He has already served time on other counts before, and that wasn’t enough to keep him out of trouble. Maybe this time it will click that he needs to straighten himself out.

What do you guys think of the plea? Is he getting off easy? Will he be able to bounce back after his release? Do you think these kind of substantially reduced prison time deals go far enough to deter celebrities from doing illegal activities?

The story on Remy Ma after the jump

Here is the story:

Grammy-nominated rapper Remy Ma was convicted of assault, weapons possession and coercion on Thursday for shooting a woman in the abdomen in a dispute about money in New York. 

The New York State Supreme Court jury cleared her of charges of gang assault, witness tampering, witness intimidation and assault in a separate incident in which her associates are accused of beating up the boyfriend of a witness.

The artist, whose real name is Remy Smith, was taken into custody after the verdict was read. She faces five to 25 years in prison.

Prosecutors said Smith shot Makeda Barnes-Joseph after a night out in New York last year, thinking she had taken $3,000 from her purse.

Barnes-Joseph testified during the two-week trial that Smith was angry and carrying a black and silver gun when she entered the driver’s side of her car about 3:30 a.m. on July 14, 2007.

Smith’s gun went off as the two struggled over Barnes-Joseph’s purse and the bullet pierced her colon and hit her rectum. Barnes-Joseph spent three weeks in the hospital.

Smith’s lawyer, Ivan Fisher, called the shooting accidental and suggested Barnes-Joseph was exaggerating the facts to win a large sum in a separate civil suit.

For the record…one thing I absolutely refuse to do on this site is to focus on the criminal activities of celebrities or turn it into the obituary…however, since we discussed the Remy Ma and TI situations when they first happened, I feel like it makes sense to do an update. Honestly, this entire situation is really sad and pointless. It’s not that Remy had the most promising career in the world, but she had enough going for herself that to shoot someone over 3,000 funky little dollars is so pointless. 

I think it just goes to show that when you carry around weapons you are inviting trouble. There was absolutely NO reason for to have the gun in her possession in the first place…so by carrying it around was her first mistake. I can’t say I feel sorry for her…there is too much gun violence in this country and people need to get the message that when you escalate a situation to the point of shooting someone your a$$ will be sent to jail.

What do you guys think of the situation? Do you think she will get a harsh sentence? Do you think she is innocent or guilty? 

Posted by Reecie