Prodigy (Mobb Deep) has been sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a loaded gun Tuesday (Oct. 9).

Mobb Deep rapper Prodigy has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years behind bars after pleading guilty to a weapons charge dating back to 2006. Authorities say Prodigy, born Albert Johnson, was pulled over in downtown Manhattan after he was spotted driving in the opposite direction on a one-way street in an attempt to claim a parking spot. A search of the car turned up an unlicensed .22-caliber pistol.

Two officers testified that when they stopped his vehicle on Oct. 26, 2006, they saw Prodigy place his hand near an open console, which allegedly had a loaded, unlicensed .22 caliber handgun.

The 32-year-old initially claimed he had no knowledge of the weapon, which was found in a compartment between his driver’s seat and the front passenger seat, where hip-hop producer The Alchemist was sitting, reports the New York Daily News.

However midway through trial proceedings, Johnson confessed to ownership of the gun and struck a deal with prosecutors. The agreement limited his jail term to just three-and-a-half years instead of the usual 15 - the sentence normally given to felons like Prodigy who are facing their third weapons charge.