Gucci Mane Arraigned on Fed Gun Charges

Radric Davis, better known as rap artist Gucci Mane, has been charged in federal court with two separate counts of possessing a firearm while being a felon.

Davis, 33, of Atlanta, was indicted by a federal grand jury on November 19, 2013. He made his initial appearance before Magistrate Judge Linda T. Walker and was detained in custody pending his trial. 

Each charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm carries a maximum sentence of 10-years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. An indictment contains only allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent of the charges.

“The indictment charges that on two separate occasions, this defendant, a convicted felon, threatened individuals, including the police and his attorney with a gun” said United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates in a release. “This is how people get hurt, and we are committed to ensuring that convicted felons not have guns.”

The charges stem from a pair of recent incidents according to Yates and other information presented in court. On September 12, 2013, Davis, who was a felon at the time, was found in possession of a firearm. 

Two days later, he again possessed a firearm different from the earlier gun. On both occasions, Davis displayed the loaded firearm, acted erratically, and made threats to individuals, including police and his attorney.   

In the latter incident, Davis ultimately found himself in police handcuffs in southeast Atlanta. Shorty before 1 a.m., Atlanta police officers responded to a call from a friend of Davis. Upon arrival in the area of Moreland and East Confederate avenues, they were told of the friend’s concern about the erratic way Davis had been acting.

When officers approached Davis, he became “increasingly agitated with officers and began cursing and threatening them,” according to police.

Officers took Davis into custody and discovered he was armed with a handgun and had a small amount of marijuana with him.

That incident came after Davis was indicted this past spring on an assault charge after he was accused of hitting a soldier in the head with a champagne bottle in a downtown Atlanta club. He pleaded not guilty to the charge.

In 2005, the artist was charged with murder in DeKalb County after shooting a fellow rapper he said had assaulted him. The charges were subsequently dropped.

“The Atlanta Police Department has made it a priority to take violent repeat offenders off our city streets and see that they are held responsible for their actions," said Atlanta Police Chief George N. Turner in the release. "We are thankful for the cooperation with our partner agencies, especially the U.S. Attorney’s Office, in bringing Mr. Davis to justice. We cannot tolerate convicted felons ignoring the law by carrying firearms and endangering our citizens.”