Rapper Petey Pablo sentenced to 3 years for gun (BLOG)

NEW BERN, N.C. (AP) — Hip-hop artist Petey Pablo has been sentenced in North Carolina to almost three years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possessing a stolen firearm.

The U.S. Attorney's Office says the 38-year-old rapper was sentenced Monday to 35 months behind bars in U.S. District Court in New Bern. Pablo's real name is Moses Barrett, and he's from Wake Forest, N.C.

Petey Pablo was arrested last year while attempting to clear security at Raleigh-Durham International Airport for a flight to Los Angeles. Authorities found a loaded gun in a bag that had passed through an X-ray machine.

Authorities say the investigation showed the gun had been stolen during a home burglary in Gardena, Calif., in 2005.

The rapper is best known for the songs "Raise Up" and "Freek-a-Leek."