T.I.'s Prison Timeline

T.I. was at the top of his game, fresh off of a top selling album "King" and a critically acclaimed movie "ATL." T.I.'s world turned upside down after an altercation in Cincinnati, Ohio turned tragic, leaving his best friend Philant Johnson dead. That would spark the chain of events that would eventually lead to T.I.'s arrest on weapons charges and eventual guilty plea. Let's see the timeline of events that led to T.I.'s incarceration, which started yesterday.

May 3, 2006 Philant Johnson, T.I.'s best friend and bodyguard, was murdered in Cincinnati, Ohio after an altercation at a local club.
September 2006 T.I. releases a video for the single "Live In The Sky" featuring Jamie Foxx. In the video, he dedicates the song to Philant Johnson.

October 13, 2007 Shortly before he was scheduled to appear at the BET Hip-Hop Awards in Atlanta, T.I. was arrested for allegedly purchasing three machine guns and two silencers among other firearms from an undercover federal agent. He is immediately placed under strict house arrest until a scheduled January hearing which was later pushed back to February.

March 24, 2008 T.I. was able to receive a brief lift on his house arrest to go to Easter Sunday Mass.

March 27, 2008 T.I. pleads guilty to weapons and firearms possession charges in a plea bargain. The original charges would have totaled over 30 years; In the plea deal, T.I. agreed to complete 1,000 hours of community service, followed by a year and a day of prison time.

September 30, 2008 T.I.'s sixth album "Paper Trail," written while he was under house arrest, was released in stores. The album would eventually sell 568,000 copies in its first week, spawn four top 5 hits including the #1 singles "Whatever You Like" and "Live Your Life." The album would become T.I.'s biggest selling album of his career, selling over 2 million copies.

Dec. 23, 2008 Hosea Thomas, the man convicted in the murder of T.I.'s friend Philant Johnson, was sentenced to 66 years to life in prison.

March 27, 2009 A year to the day after being sentenced, T.I. was formally sentenced by a Georgia judge after successfully completing his 1,000 hours of community service. Initially this was supposed to be the date that he would begin serving his sentence; this date would get pushed back to May 26. T.I. would confirm that the death of Philant Johnson was a significant factor as to why he purchased those weapons.

May 19, 2009 Reports surfaced that T.I.'s prison sentence would be reduced to 61 days, with 305 days of house arrest counting towards time served. This report is later refuted.

May 24, 2009 T.I. performs a farewell concert in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia.

May 26, 2009 T.I. begins serving his year and a day sentence in Forrest City, Arkansas.