10/27/2007

Looks like T.I. is finally free.
According to Fox News in Atlanta, U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan Baverman granted T.I. (real name: Clifford Harris) a $3 million bond during a court hearing Friday (October 26) in his federal weapons case.

Via terms of the bond, T.I. is to remain under house arrest at his home in Henry County, but wasn't specific about the location, according to the Associated Press.

The rapper will be monitored 24 hours a day by a private monitoring service that he must pay for, and will remain at home except under certain circumstances, including medical appointments and court appearances.

He cannot own any firearms and cannot have contact with any witnesses or informants in the case, reports the AP.

T.I. is charged with possession of unregistered machine guns and silencers, and possession of firearms by a convicted felon, stemming from a sting in Atlanta on October 13th where ATF Agents caught T.I. in the act of purchasing the weapons (see "T.I. Arrested, Home Raided By Feds In Atlanta").

The rapper's lawyers proposed a $2.2 million bond and house arrest last Friday (October 19), but the judge denied the request until his hearing this Friday (October 26).

If convicted of the weapons charges, he faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count.

10/19/2007

In federal court today (Oct. 19), T.I.'s lawyers have asked for the rapper to be released on $2.2 million bond among several other conditions.

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, T.I. lawyers presented the bond request to U.S. Magistrate Alan Baverman this morning. Additional conditions of the bond would include T.I. agreeing to stay in his home 24 hours a day and be subject to electronic monitoring, additional bonds backed by his record company, record company executives and the equity of his two homes.

U.S. Magistrate Alan Baverman is expected to make a ruling on whether T.I. can stay out of jail while awaiting trial on weapons charges by midday.

The bond proposal from Harris's (T.I.) lawyers included a $2.2 million bond with a cash desposit of $500,000; a $1 million signature bond signed by Atlantic Records; five $100,000 signature bonds signed by five Atlantic Records and Warner Music executives; two $100,000 surety bonds from different bonding companies and the equity of the Harris' homes, which lawyer Ed Garland said are worth $1.5 million.

A lawyer said T.I. would also allow an independent monitor to live in the home and search anyone coming or going. The monitoring would be paid for by T.I.

At today's hearing T.I. was also expected to be arraigned, enter a not guilty plea and find out which U.S. District Court judge would be overseeing his case.

T.I. was indicted on three federal charges Wednesday (October 16) and charged with possessing unregistered machine guns and silencers, unlawfully possessing machine guns and being a convicted felon in possession of firearms.

T.I. was arrested Saturday — just hours before he was to take the stage at the BET Hip-Hop Awards — after federal officials said he had paid his bodyguard to buy machine guns and silencers for him.

The arrest resulted from an investigation that began this month when a federal firearms licensee contacted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives about a man inquiring about buying a machine gun without registering the weapon as required by law, according to a criminal complaint filed Saturday in U.S. District Court in Atlanta.

After trying to buy several machine guns from an undercover ATF agent, the unnamed person began cooperating with the government and said he was buying the machine guns and silencers for Clifford Harris, T.I.’s given name, the complaint said. According to the bodyguard, he had bought about nine firearms for T.I., and the rapper had given him cash to buy guns four different times, it said.

Harris brokered the deals through the bodyguard because he is a convicted felon, the complaint alleged. It is against federal law for a convicted felon to have another person get firearms on their behalf.

The 27-year-old rapper had arranged to pick up the weapons just hours before he was to take the stage at the Hip-Hop Awards, being taped blocks away, according to the complaint.