Judge orders T.I. released on bond
AP, Oct 26, 2007 5:00 pm PDTRapper T.I. was released on bond Friday, but he'll be confined to his home to await trial on weapons charges.
T.I. (real name: Clifford Harris) walked out of the federal courthouse in downtown Atlanta after posting a $3 million bond — $2 million in cash and $1 million in equity on property he owns.
"I want to thank all the fans for their support," Harris said as he left the courthouse. "Due to the severity of the situation, I can't say much more."
Before hopping into a black sport utility vehicle, he added, "I want to get all of this behind me."
U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan Baverman agreed to the bond over government objections so long as Harris follows certain conditions, including remaining in a home except for medical appointments and court appearances.
Harris also was required to surrender his passport, not own any guns and stay away from witnesses and informants in the case. The only people who will be allowed to live with him are his girlfriend and children. Visitors must be approved by the court.
Baverman sternly warned him against violating conditions of his bond.
The judge said that if Harris gets into any trouble or violates the terms of his release, "a number of very bad things will happen." That includes his bond being revoked and any sentence he receives later being potentially increased.
Harris told Baverman he understood the conditions.
A status conference in the case is set for Nov. 5.
More than 60 supporters — family members, friends and fans — stood outside the federal courtroom during the hearing. Some of the rapper's supporters held up signs with pictures of the rapper and wore shirts saying "Free T.I." on the front and "Let your haters be your motivators" on the back.
Authorities say that on Oct. 13, about an hour before a scheduled performance at the BET Hip-Hop Awards in Atlanta, Harris showed up to buy unregistered machine guns and silencers. He already had three guns in his car — one of them loaded — when he was arrested, authorities say.
Harris, 27, faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count.
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Associated Press Writer Jonathan Landrum Jr. in Atlanta contributed to this report.
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