LOGAN, Utah (AP) — A federal judge in Utah sentenced Louisiana rap artist NBA Youngboy to just under two years in prison on gun-related charges after he acknowledged having possessed weapons despite being a convicted felon.
The rapper, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden, reached an agreement that resolved Utah state charges against him and settled two sets of federal charges against him — one carries a 23-month sentence and the other orders five years of probation and a $200,000 fine.
Gaulden, 25, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, reached the agreement with federal prosecutors in September, and he and the attorneys signed the deal Tuesday, court documents show.
The rapper acknowledged that, while filming a rap video in Baton Rouge, he possessed a Glock 21 .45-caliber pistol and a Masterpiece Arms MPA30T 9mm handgun. Also, he said, in April he possessed a Sig Sauer 9mm semi-automatic pistol at his home in Huntsville, Utah. He agreed to give up the guns.
Gaulden had previously been convicted in Louisiana of aggravated assault with a firearm, according to his statement released in advance of the plea agreement.
Utah agents raided Gaulden’s home in April amid a complaint that he had posed as a doctor in an effort to obtain prescription painkillers, multiple news outlets reported. As part of the federal plea deal, he would plead guilty to 10 state charges and be sentenced to time served plus a $25,000 fine.
Gaulden apologized to the court and his family before federal Judge Howard Nielson handed down the sentence, KSL.com reported.
“I let my situation get the best of me,” Gaulden said. He added, “I take full responsibility.”
Nielson said he hopes Gaulden will get to a place where he can make decisions that are “totally unfettered” by substances, noting that he would have to “walk the straight and narrow" by completing court-ordered substance abuse treatment and mental health evaluations.
“This has been a long road that involved extensive litigation and ultimately extensive negotiation,” Atlanta attorney Drew Findling said in a statement Wednesday. “Kentrell’s defense team is very happy for Kentrell and we look forward to his many future successes.”
The Associated Press