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Rapper Leaf Ward, whose real name is Khalif Ward, was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison on January 23 after he pleaded guilty to illegal firearms possession charges, including carrying a machine gun.
His sentencing came 17 months after he was arrested in August 2023 in the parking lot of Bahama Breeze restaurant near the King of Prussia Mall in Pennsylvania.
Law enforcement ran a routine check against his car plate and found that the vehicle was stolen out of Philadelphia. While they were about to tow it, Leaf Ward appeared from the food joint with his girlfriend and tried to erase evidence and flee the scene.
Subsequently, the rapper bolted back to the restaurant and placed a loaded Glock.40 caliber pistol onto the kitchen trash can. Reportedly, the firearm was rigged with an illegal conversion switch to function as a fully automatic weapon. The gun was later recovered from the scene while Leaf Ward was caught behind the premises and taken into custody.
More about Leaf Ward’s legal troubles
Following his arrest in August 2023, Leaf Ward was indicted in December of that year on a single count of machine gun possession and another count of firearm possession by a felon. Previously, he pleaded guilty to both charges in October.
Earlier this month, the Philadelphia rapper was sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison. Last week, U.S. District Court Judge Joel H. Slomsky also fined him $25,000 and gave him three years of supervised release.
Notably, the 26-year-old already had two gun convictions from a state firearms-related case. In the wake of the recent sentence, U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero shared a statement with the press.
“Despite two prior gun convictions, Ward continued to wield these weapons, boldly displaying them in his videos and carrying them on the street. This office will continue to work with the ATF and our state and local partners to get guns out of the hands of people not permitted to have them, to tamp down violent crime, and make the public safer,” Romero stated.
Likewise, ATF Special Agent in Charge Eric DeGree highlighted “the inherent dangers, particularly in public spaces, of such converted firearms capable of expelling whole magazines in mere seconds,” as reported by hoodline.com.
The outlet also mentioned that Leaf Ward was prosecuted through joint proceedings by the ATF, Secret Service, and Upper Merion Township Police Department, along with the guidance of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy Lanni, Everett Witherell, and Shayna Gannone.
Khalid Ward made his hip-hop debut in January 2018 by uploading his North of Death freestyle to his YouTube account. Subsequently, he released many tracks, including Concrete, Close Range, County Conversations, They Forgot, and its sequels, parts 2 and 3.
His music has amassed millions of views on Spotify and YouTube. He is also active on Instagram, where he posts lifestyle and behind-the-scenes content for his 244,000 followers. The father of two has collaborated with rapper Quilly.
