Lil Wayne

Rapper Lil Wayne pleaded guilty to attempted weapons possession charges today (October 22).

As reported by AllHipHop.com yesterday (October 21), the rapper is expected to receive a maximum sentence of one year in jail, although he is expected to serve around eight months in prison for the offense.

The rapper had previously pleaded not guilty to the charges, but changed the plea to avoid a trial that was due to start January 20 and could have resulted in at least 3 ½ years in prison.

The guilty plea stems from an incident in New York in 2007, after police found a .40 caliber handgun during a search of his tour bus.

Originally, lawyers for Wayne planned to contest the charges.

Yesterday (October 21), the plea was entered after Wayne’s DNA evidence was allegedly found on the weapon and deemed admissible by a judge.

The DNA evidence found was reportedly small, and Wayne’s lawyers initially sparred with the prosecution over whether DNA profiling technique used was scientifically acceptable.

Before the trial, Lil Wayne’s manager had publicly taken responsibility for the gun on the rapper’s VH1 special.

Lil Wayne, 27, also faces a trial in Arizona for felony drug possession and weapons charges, after a 2008 arrest during a routine stop at a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint.

At press time, Lil Wayne could not be reached for comment.

His much-delayed rock debut, The Rebirth, is scheduled to hit stores on December 15.