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According to T.I.‘s attorney’s, T.I. is not on house arrest for a year as was widely reported last week. “T.I. can go anywhere he wants,” said one of his attorneys. But the rapper needs court approval to attend certain industry events, and he has to adhere to a strict curfew.
Last night, T.I. stepped out on the town with his pregnant girlfriend Tiny. The happy couple attended an exhibit by T.I.’s personal photographer, Derek Blanks.
Despite his newfound freedom, T.I. is still required to wear an electronic monitoring device at all times. He can not leave Georgia without permission and he must complete 1000 hours of community service speaking to troubled youth about the dangers of drugs, guns and gangbanging.
The rapper has been the subject of harsh criticism since pleading guilty to federal weapons charges last week. Many believe he was handed a sweetheart deal by federal prosecutors because he snitched.
Those who accuse T.I. of snitching simply don’t know how the justice system works for affluent people. The key is to hire attorneys who have established good working relationships with the prosecutor and judges.
T.I.’s popularity would have made the case difficult to prosecute in Atlanta anyway. This case wasn’t so much about guns as it was about drugs.
In their zeal to find drugs, federal agents tore T.I.’s front door off it’s hinges, threw stun grenades in the face of his two year old and stomped his teenage nephew.
Instead of finding kilos of cocaine, agents found children’s toys, and a collection of guns – some over 15 years old – tucked away in a safe in the back of his bedroom closet. If the case had gone to trial, evidence would have shown that none of the guns had been recently fired.
Agents didn’t find so much as a burnt joint in the house. It was standard overkill. A case of overzealous federal agents acting on a tip from an informant who may not have been all that reliable.
T.I.’s plea deal benefits everyone including taxpayers who would have footed the bill to warehouse him in prison. By placing T.I. on probation, the state saves thousands in taxpayer dollars.
Sources say T.I. is working overtime in the studio every night to complete his album “Paper Trail”. He and Tiny are eagerly awaiting the birth of their son in May.
