A New York judge sentenced Lil Zay Osama to 14 months in prison for possession of a machine gun on November 7. The Chicago-bred rapper reacted to rumors claiming he received a 30-year prison sentence on Monday (November 11).
“Stop believing everything u hear or see on the internet!” he wrote on Instagram Stories. “You really think u can get 30 years for a switch? Hell no!! idc what state [you] in facts but switches is dangerous and carry 3 or 4 years maybe less depending on ya background but they becoming a problem in a lot of cities so it might be worse for you different strokes for different folks. I caught a blessing don’t look at my situation and think you need a switch cause it can end bad for you.”
He added, “I just wanna thank god, my kids, my family and my label for standing behind this whole way.”
Lil Zay Osama, whose real name is Isaiah Dukes, pleaded guilty to the gun charge in May. Judge Nina Morrison ordered him to pay a $10,000 fine in addition to his prison time.
“The defendant knowingly carried a fully automatic weapon, a pistol with a switch device whose only purpose is to make a dangerous weapon all the more deadly – and then carelessly left that gun in the back of a rideshare,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said. “[This] sentence serves as a warning that those who possess illegal guns, particularly with switches that convert those guns into machine guns, will be held accountable for their actions and for the danger they pose to our community.”
Lil Zay Osama was arrested after leaving his gun in a rideshare vehicle following a ride from Manhattan to Queens in 2022. A grand jury indicted him over the incident in January 2024.