“This is the end of it.”
Those are the (paraphrased) words that Meek Mill—born Robert Rihmeek Williams—finally got to hear in relation to a 2007 gun charge. That’s right, Meek is going to remain with the “free” status.
According to CBS Philly, Meek pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor and prosecutors have dropped all other charges against him. He’s been under court supervision for about 12 years. With the deal he negotiated with prosecutors, Meek won’t be serving any additional prison time.
“I know this has been a long road for you and hopefully this will be the end of it,” Judge Leon Tucker said to the Philly rapper when he accepted the plea on Tuesday morning.
Meek was first arrested at 19 years old for gun and drug related charges. In 2017, he spent two years in prison for violating his parole in connection with a 2008 gun possession and drug dealing conviction. The Pennsylvania Superior Court overturned the conviction in July 2019.
As CBS Philly notes:
He is now free of the close scrutiny of Judge Genece Brinkley, who convicted him after a short non-jury trial in 2008 and called him back to court repeatedly during a decade of court supervision. Brinkley frequently complained that Mill was “thumbing his nose” at her, and once visited a homeless shelter to check up on his community service efforts. She later reprimanded him for sorting clothes rather than serving meals as she had ordered. He said he was directed to the job.
The Pennsylvania Superior Court removed Brinkley from the case as it granted Mill a new trial. Krasner’s office then had to decide whether to retry him or try to negotiate a plea, perhaps to misdemeanor charges. In his testimony at trial, Mill admitted having a gun but denied that he pointed it at police or was selling drugs at the time.
“I’m extremely grateful that my long legal battle is finally behind me and I appreciate that it has sparked a much-needed discussion about probation reform and the inequalities that exist within our two Americas,” Meek tweeted on Tuesday, following the news.
In his series of tweets, the 32-year-old rapper thanked Jay-Z, Desiree Perez, Michael Rubin, his legal team and everyone else who has shown him support throughout the years.
“It’s important that we now channel our energy into helping the millions that are unjustly trapped in our criminal justice system,” Meek concluded.
Word.