Georgia Criminal Defense Lawyers Blog
When a person is convicted on federal crimes that are a felony, there are a variety of legal consequences, some of which aren’t limited to prison time. For example, people convicted of a felony aren’t allowed to own a firearm. Simply owning a gun under these circumstances can result in serious criminal charges.
Rapper Gucci Mane, who is legally named Radric Davis, was recently struck with two counts of federal crimes for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. In total, Mane could spend 20 years in prison if he’s convicted and handed the maximum sentence.
According to police reports, Mane was charged on two counts as the result of two incidents involving different weapons. The rapper was arrested in Atlanta earlier this year after police received a tip from one of his friends. The police responded to the friend’s concerns that Mane was behaving strangely. When police arrived, the rapper threatened police and was found to be in possession of a gun.
When announcing the charges, authorities indicated that Mane would actually be charged twice, because he was involved in another gun-related incident just days before being arrested.
As is often the case, police reports and statements made by law enforcement officials in this case seem to paint Mane as guilty even before the trial has started. Because information and evidence supplied by police is aimed at demonstrating guilt, it can be easy to make assumptions about whether or not a defendant did what he or she is accused of doing. On a very basic level, criminal defendants are considered innocent until proven otherwise.
When dealing with any type of criminal charge, it’s important to consider the totality of circumstances. In this particular case, Mane had been released by his record label only days before the alleged gun-related incidents. The stress and anxiety he felt from being dropped by his label could be related to the criminal charges.
Source: CNN, “Rapper Gucci Mane faces up to 20 years on federal gun charges, prosecutor says,” Eliott C. McLaughlin, Dec. 3, 2013