Lil Wayne is Headed to the Big House

On Thursday morning, rapper Lil Wayne pleaded guilty to attempted possession of a weapon in the second degree. He had previously pleaded not guilty to the charges, and surprised everyone when he decided that it would be in his best interest to plead guilty and take a plea bargain.

The NYPD filed charges against Lil Wayne after finding a .40 caliber handgun on his tour bus in July 2007. After the court ruled that DNA evidence found on the gun was admissible, this is when he changed his mind and took the plea bargain. Had he been found guilty in trial, which was set to begin in January 2010, he faced a three and a half year sentence.

It is expected that Lil Wayne will serve anywhere from eight months to a year in prison. New York is notoriously hard on gun charges, as evidenced by the recent case against Plaxico Burress who received a two year prison sentence last month.

According to TMZ, cops searched his tour bus after smelling marijuana after his show at the Beacon Theatre. As police approached the bus, he allegedly tossed a Louis Vuitton bag with the gun inside.

Although Lil Wayne has pleaded guilty in this case, his legal troubles are not over. he is also facing a trial for felony drug possession and weapons charges in Arizona as a result of another tour bus search in 2008. In this instance, 105 grams of marijuana, 29 grams of cocaine, 41 grams of ecstasy, drug paraphernalia and a handgun were found onboard.

Wayne will officially be sentenced in the NY case in February. It's not clear whether the guilty plea will effect his planned December 15th release of "Rebirth."