Celebrity Justice
Source: T.I. Didn't Do It!

Is he packin' heat or isn't he? A source close to embattled rapper T.I. says that the gun charges leveraged against the hip-hopper are false; T.I. never tried to purchase guns -- it was all his bodyguard.

The source told MediaTakeOut.com that "[The bodyguard] asked T.I. for an advance on his [pay] and T.I. gave it to him. ...Whatever he spent money on -- whether it be guns, drugs, or formula for his children -- T.I. had nothing to do with it." That's it, he was buying formula!

And those guns found in T.I.'s house? "T.I. has security that lives with him and stay with him at all times. The gun that the [federal agents] found belonged to his security team" -- all of whom are licensed to carry them, the source claims.

"The government was just looking to pin a case on T.I. - they've been trying for years. So they pushed [the bodyguard] into snitching on T.I."

But according to CNN, authorities said they found three firearms in the car in which T.I. -- also know as Cilfford Harris -- drove to pick up the machine guns and silencers, "including one loaded gun tucked between the driver's seat where Harris had been sitting and the center console."

Conspiracy, or just caught up?

Tags: ti

Reader Comments

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31. ok all of yalls comments are making no sense to me. hes an awesome rapper and in that field you need protection cuz people are always gonna be tryin to kill him. grow up people and stop using race as an excuse. i love his music and he is real. he got guns so what. they need to be payin more attention to these kids that are getting guns and shooting up schools

Posted at 3:33PM on Oct 14th 2007 by Moe

32.

blackpanther - agree $15-20K to buy a number of weapons & silencers are illegal too!

Posted at 3:33PM on Oct 14th 2007 by A

33. I don't like rap and can't stand these gangster rappers for a moment. However, I NEVER believe the ATF until I see the evidence. I have seen them cut corners and perjure themselves, or tell a "witness" to do it for them.

It would be standard operating procedure to pressure the bodyguard into putting it all off on the boss, if that's who they really want. Just from the story, if at all accurate, I see serious problems for the prosecution that could be exploited by a first year law student.

As for the guns in the house and vehicle, everyone around him is licensed to carry and all he has to do is deny knowledge of them, while his employees say that they left them there, so I don't see anything to hold the dude for. Nice to parade the perfectly legal guns around the cameras for pictures, but irrelevant. Those guns will very likely have to be returned to the owner(s). Unless they have a lot more than the word of the fool trying to buy illegal weapons, this will never reach trial and he only has to pay some lawyer fees and maybe some employee bonuses.

The media always makes a big thing about anything even resembling a gun and people who live in areas with restrictive gun laws don't realize that those laws don't apply elsewhere. Machineguns and silencers are actually legal in many states, IF you do the proper paperwork. Long guns, in most states, have no waiting period. The waiting period for handguns doen't always apply for people with any law enforcement status, or carry permits, in many states. Unlawfully carring a firearm is often a misdemeanor, with a small fine, if convicted. Talking heads like to say terms like "assault weapon" in low and ominous tones, but there is no such thing. They do the same with buzzwords like "semi-automatic," as if it means anything more than one trigger pull fires it one time, just like a revolver.

Look at how they still keep saying that the kid in Pennsylvania had "30 weapons," counting bb guns, pellet guns, pocket knives and swords (quite possibly only display models) as if they were really something to be concerned about. Take anything the sensation seeking media spouts with even more grains of salt than what the ATF might claim.

Posted at 3:38PM on Oct 14th 2007 by Joker2U

34. and everyone needs to stop talking about RACE. all of the black people up here need to stop hatin on white people cuz im a white person but im fully behind t.i. and all of you white people need to stop talkin about blacks because i bet none of yall have ever lived in a ghetto or even been to a ghetto so u really dont know what thats all about. dont judge someone about buyin guns i mean hey at least instead of talkin crap about the person hes actually goin to take care of them.

Posted at 3:41PM on Oct 14th 2007 by Moe

35. FREE T.I,!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BITCHES!

Posted at 4:16PM on Oct 14th 2007 by Repping Beantown to the Fullest blog

36. THUG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted at 3:55PM on Oct 14th 2007 by ihaterap

37. mommy

Posted at 4:01PM on Oct 14th 2007 by pretty white girl

38. Man bo, PPL just hatin ... dat BODYGUARD did it all and plan all this because they was jealous he was getting all of the attention. I can't stand snitcherz. Like they say ... Snitches get stitches and ain't nuttin but bitches !!!

Posted at 4:18PM on Oct 14th 2007 by TI Princess

39. I know that not all hip-hop artists aren't thugs or gang-bangers or crackheads; but incidents like this just reinforce the negative stereotypes so many people have of them.

Posted at 4:53PM on Oct 14th 2007 by Vanilla Cokehead

40. T.I. is an ass. He has prior arrest records and he got BUSTED. I've read the reports. He's guilty. And for the record T.I. stands for TOTAL IDIOT.

Posted at 4:57PM on Oct 14th 2007 by JJ NYC

41. I think that they are far more serious crimes being committed than someone having a gun...a gun???? are you serious???? there are thousands of people being raped, killed, and molested and yet the FBI is concerned with him....where was the FBI when all of these hate crimes are being committed???? think on that one!!!

Posted at 7:12PM on Oct 14th 2007 by Jovan

42. T.I.'s nose looks like a drive thru car wash. Get it fixed you gangsta THUG.

Posted at 5:12PM on Oct 14th 2007 by pretty white girl

43. Stop comparing TI to OJ. ! You are just presenting your self as a Rascist Biggot ! The facts are not out yet, sounds like entrapment to me. Let's see how it plays out in court. Judge not lest ye be judged. Focus your energ on Brittney committing suicide, the same way you did Anna Nicole. Haters Get a life and make your own news !

Posted at 12:34PM on Oct 16th 2007 by Get a life, close minded wankers !

44. #37 Joke2U -- you state in your sencond sentence that "until I see the evidence" and
then you proceed to make up your own, little story about how "everyone around him is
licensed to carry." Says who? Are you one of his security detail? You just made that up based on nothing. Take your own advice and wait to see the evidence. I'm sorry, but it sounds like you may have had your own run-in with the ATF. Based on the information
provided thus far, I disagree with you, and believe the prosecution of T.I. will be a cake walk.

Posted at 5:16PM on Oct 14th 2007 by Gypsy

45. Diddy did it.

Posted at 5:17PM on Oct 14th 2007 by pffft

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