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Former Roc-A-Fella rapper Beanie Sigel was sentenced to 6 to 23 months in county prison on Wednesday after pleading guilty to drug charges from an August 2012 arrest in Tinicum Township, Pennsylvania according to reports by the Delaware County Daily Times.
Sigel (born Dwight Grant) and a companion were stopped by state troopers on I-95 for traffic violations around 3:00 a.m. on August 29th. Police found prescription pills and marijuana on the driver of the vehicle, Gerald Andrews.
Sigel was asleep in the passenger’s seat at the time the car was pulled over, but was searched by the officers as well. Police then found codeine, pills, and $4,500 in the Philadelphia emcee’s possession.
A .38 caliber Smith and Wesson was also discovered in the car. Sigel and Andrews are prohibited to carry a firearm because both men are convicted felons.
Sigel had been detained in jail since being arrested on drug possession, possession with the intent to deliver, persons not to possess firearms, firearms not to be carried without a license and conspiracy charges.
Yesterday, he pleaded guilty to the illegal prescription drug possession which is an ungraded misdemeanor.
“Mr. Grant has been a successful entertainer and musician in the Philadelphia community for decades,” said Sigel’s defense attorney Carson Morris. “Obviously, he’s had an incredible amount of success and opportunity in his life. He’s also made some mistakes, which have ended up putting him in custody. He’s ready to go ahead and put that behind him and move on with is life.”
Beanie Sigel has had several run ins with the law. He served a one year federal sentence for a gun charge he received in 2002. He was arrested twice in 2003 for assault and attempted murder. He was not convicted of either crime.
In 2010, Sigel pleaded guilty to tax evasion after the IRS accused the rapper of avoiding to pay $728,536 in federal taxes from the years 1999 to 2005. He was sentenced to 24 months in prison.
Sigel’s attorney also mentioned to the judge that the rapper is experiencing serious financial issues stemming from owing back taxes.
Sigel released his last album, This Time, just hours before his August 29 arrest.
