Rapper Lil Zay Osama, born Isaiah Dukes, received a 14-month federal prison sentence on Thursday after leaving a modified handgun in an Uber in Queens. However, even after completing this sentence, Dukes still faces a series of serious legal issues.
The 27-year-old Chicago rapper was sentenced by Judge Nina Morrison in Brooklyn Federal Court after pleading guilty in May to possessing a machine gun. Although prosecutors had recommended 27 months, Dukes’ attorney, Dawn Florio, requested leniency, citing his months of confinement in the notoriously dangerous MDC Brooklyn jail.
Judges often consider the harsh conditions at MDC, where two inmates were fatally stabbed within weeks over the summer. Florio had hoped for a seven-month term.
The case stems from a September 2022 incident when Dukes and friends were heading to a recording studio in Queens. Their Uber driver reportedly saw Dukes handling a firearm in the backseat, which he left behind upon exiting.
The driver promptly called 911, leading police to the studio, where the driver identified Dukes as the one with the gun. Initially, Dukes faced charges in September 2022, but they were dismissed without prejudice two months later, allowing prosecutors to revisit the case. Dukes celebrated the dismissal as a victory on Instagram. However, in January, federal authorities issued a grand jury indictment, charging him with possessing both a machine gun and an unregistered firearm.
U.S. Attorney Breon Peace underscored the seriousness of Dukes’ actions: “The defendant knowingly carried a fully automatic weapon—enhanced with a switch device to make it deadlier—and then carelessly left it in a rideshare. Today’s sentence serves as a reminder that bringing such dangerous, modified weapons into New York City has serious consequences.”
The January indictment arrived while Dukes was incarcerated in Illinois on other charges related to a machine gun incident. According to Illinois prosecutors, Dukes and two men, linked to a New York jewelry store robbery, led police on a high-speed chase in Oak Brook, Illinois, in December. Their capture revealed a loaded Glock 29 with a laser and an extended magazine, as well as a modified Glock 19 with a 50-round drum magazine. Dukes was also wearing a $90,000 necklace reportedly connected to the New York robbery.
This case remains pending. Additionally, Dukes is wanted on two other warrants, including one in Wisconsin for failing to appear in court on concealed-weapon charges.
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