Lil Zay Osama pleaded not guilty to possession of a machine gun and possession of an unregistered firearm in New York on Wednesday (April 3). The charges stemmed from him leaving an illegal machine gun in a rideshare vehicle.
The Chicago rapper, whose real name is Isaiah Dukes, was arrested for gun possession in September 2022. He was indicted on the weapons charges in January.
“As alleged, Dukes brought a machine gun into our district and then dangerously left it in the back of a rideshare,” U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace said. “This office, together with our law enforcement partners, will continue to work diligently to protect our communities from such dangerous weapons.”
Peace added, “Machine guns have no place on the streets of our communities. They are weapons intended to kill and injure with maximum effect, with the shooter often firing uncontrollably and indiscriminately. They pose a significant danger to both the public and law enforcement.”
Prosecutors accused Lil Zay Osama of carrying a loaded Glock pistol affixed with a switch with him in New York on September 29, 2022. Police arrested him after he allegedly left the weapon in a rideshare vehicle that transported him from a Manhattan hotel to a Queens recording studio.
A New York judge ordered Lil Zay Osama to be detained pending trial at Wednesday’s hearing, per Chicago’s WGN-TV. His next court date is scheduled for May 21. The 26-year-old artist faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted on all counts.
Last December, Lil Zay Osama and two other men were arrested following a high-speed chase in Illinois. He was charged with possession of a loaded machine gun, theft of stolen goods valued between $10,000 and $100,000, and possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number.