Rapper T.I. released on bail in weapons case

By Matthew Bigg

ATLANTA (Reuters) - Grammy Award-winning rapper T.I. walked out of a federal court on $3 million bond on Friday two weeks after he was arrested in a weapons case that could see him jailed for 30 years.

Wearing a pale gray suit, T.I. smiled and gave victory signs to around 20 cheering fans as he emerged from the court in downtown Atlanta and in his first public comments since his arrest thanked supporters.

"Great, great," he replied when asked how it felt to be out of jail. "I look forward to getting this (case) behind me and we move forward," said the rapper, born Clifford Harris.

Judge Alan Baverman ordered that he remain at his home in Henry County, Georgia, and submit to having his precise whereabouts monitored both electronically and by a private surveillance company.

His girlfriend would be allowed to reside at the house, which on Friday was searched for weapons, or illegal goods by the U.S. bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) prior to his release.

Other visitors were permitted under a series of conditions and T.I and the property would be subject to random searches.

"You are going to be under home incarceration that is going to be governed by an active GPS (Global Positioning System) at your cost," Baverman told T.I., warning him not to have any contact with potential witnesses in the case.

Baverman said T.I. was free to find appropriate work and his lawyers said he would work at a music studio in his home.

The 27-year-old rapper last Friday pleaded not guilty to a trio of federal illegal weapons charges, each of which carries a potential sentence of 10 years in prison.

ATF agents arrested the rapper in Atlanta on October 13, the day he was due to have starred at the BET hip hop awards.

He had been nominated for nine awards, more than any other artist, and won two.

The agents said the arrest came as he took delivery of three machine guns and two silencers that a bodyguard purchased on his behalf. T.I. was convicted of a drug offense in 1998 and is prohibited from owning or buying firearms.

Fans say they are stunned by the arrest of T.I., who is due to appear with Denzel Washington in a movie later this year and was on his way toward breaking into the hip hop elite.

While many fans offered support, they also acknowledged the apparent strength of the case against him.

"We know that there were guns (in his house). They (federal agents) picked him up with them," said student Shatice Richardson, 19, adding she believed he was innocent.