Overview

• The rapper, legally named Torence Ivy Hatch Jr., admitted to a federal count of being a felon in possession of a firearm tied to a May 2023 traffic stop where two guns were found in a vehicle.
• San Diego police said they acted after a social media video appeared to show Hatch with a gun, using a helicopter to locate the car before conducting the stop.
• Hatch’s case shifted from an anticipated state plea with expected probation to a dismissal, after which federal prosecutors refiled charges.
• An initial 9th Circuit panel ruling led to the dismissal before a larger panel later reversed course, upholding bans on firearm possession by felons.
• U.S. District Judge Cathy Bencivengo will impose the sentence in November, the charge carries a maximum of 15 years in prison, and Hatch’s prior marijuana conviction made him a prohibited possessor.