A Philadelphia rapper and his girlfriend have managed to avoid prison after police discovered a stolen gun and pounds of pot in the couple’s home two years ago. PnB Rock, who’s real name is Rakim Hasheem Allen, was arrested in January of 2019 after police in the Philadelphia suburb of Bensalem executed a search warrant on Allen’s home. Neighbors had been complaining for months about loud parties and their neighborhood reeking of marijuana, and when police gained entry into Allen’s house, they found a plethora of pot as well as a stolen firearm.

During the search, police found approximately five pounds of marijuana, scales, packaging material, over $33,000 in cash and a stolen .40 caliber Glock handgun. Both Allen, 29, and his girlfriend Stephanie Sibounheuang were arrested. Sibounheuang pleaded guilty in September 2019 to possession of a controlled substance and was sentenced to six months of probation.

On Monday, Allen pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to deliver and one count of receiving stolen property. He was sentenced to 36 months of probation and 100 hours of community service.

Allen could easily have faced years in prison for the offense, given his past criminal history, which includes a 33-month stint in state prison on drug charges. It’s unclear why prosecutors decided to offer Allen a plea bargain instead of taking the case to trial or even referring the case to federal authorities. As a convicted felon, Allen would have been eligible for a ten-year prison sentence just on the gun charge, with additional time possible for the large amount of cannabis found in his home.

Instead, Allen received less than two years of probation and some community service, which seems like the wrong message to send when Philadelphia’s homicide rate is soaring to record highs.

Is this a case of celebrity justice? After all, Allen has seen incredible success as a rapper over the past few years, including having a Top 5 album and a single that was certified triple platinum. Maybe he’s reached the point in his stardom that prosecutors are willing to cut a deal rather than cut his career short. I mean, we wouldn’t want to be deprived of bangers like his song “Nowadays”, which describes his climb from homelessness to his newfound status as a… well, in this case it sounds like he’s describing being a violent drug dealer.

All these f***in’ family members, ain’t nobody help us
It don’t even matter though, we gon’ be rich one day
‘Til then I’m on the block, trappin’ up on one-way
N***as talking crazy, they don’t want no f***in’ gun play
I’ll pull up on that n***a block, on a Sunday
Church day, I’ll turn that sh*t into a hearse day
Every time you see me, I be riding with my 30
Every time you see me, I be slidin’ with my 30

A “30”, in this case, referring to a Glock with a 30-round magazine, which is also illegal for Allen to possess as a convicted felon.

Look, Allen wasn’t charged with a violent crime, and as far as I can tell, he’s never been convicted of one either, at least not a violent felony. The fact that he’s skating on charges that could have put him behind bars for a decade or more isn’t the end of the word, but with Democrats like Gov. Tom Wolf to Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney demanding more gun control laws targeting legal gun owners, it’s at least worth noting that those same politicians are silent when a felon who promotes street violence in his music is busted with a stolen gun and pounds of pot and walks away with probation.