On Friday, Bobby Shmurda, the sensational young Brooklyn rapper jailed for nearly a year and a half, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess weapons and possession of a weapon, TMZ reports. He was sentenced to seven years in prison and five years probation.
Shmurda, née Ackquille Pollard, was arrested in December 2014, barely six months after the debut of his hit single “Hot Nigga” and the attendant “shmoney dance.” He and 15 other defendants were charged with conspiracy to commit murder and a slew of gang-related gun and drug crimes. From TMZ:
A TMZ producer was in court, and heard Shmurda’s lawyer speak with his client and other defendants, imploring them to take the deal because they’d never get a sympathetic jury and they were facing life in prison.
“His sentence of 7 years, with credit for 2 years already served and good time credit will hopefully permit him to be home in approximately 3 1⁄2 years and resume his remarkable career,” Shmurda’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, said in a statement emailed to The Fader. “This plea also covers a separate Bronx indictment.”
In April, Shmurda filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against NYPD Detective Douglas Corso, ten police officers, and the city of New York, alleging that he was subject to an illegal search and seizure and a false arrest. From the complaint:
The rapper was arrested and charged with criminal possession of a weapon, although that charge was ultimately dismissed; in June, a judge ruled that the suit would be stayed pending the outcome of the criminal proceedings.
Shmurda’s lawyer in the civil rights lawsuit did not immediately respond to Jezebel’s request for comment.