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\n\tFederal prosecutors are urging a judge to sentence rap artist Boosie Badazz to two years in prison when he is sentenced on Friday for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. They argue Boosie\u2019s background and acceptance of responsibility warrant leniency.<\/p>\n
\n\tIn a sentencing memorandum filed Friday, prosecutors asked the court to impose a 24-month sentence, nearly half the 46 months recommended by probation officials. The government said the lesser term was appropriate because Boosie, whose legal name is Torence Hatch, accepted a plea deal last August and endured a troubled childhood. Had he been convicted at trial, he could have faced up to 15 years in prison.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cDefendant has clearly demonstrated acceptance of responsibility,\u201d prosecutors wrote in the seven-page filing obtained by Rolling Stone<\/em>. \u201c[Hatch] had a difficult upbringing, which likely contributed to his current predicament.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tProsecutors noted Hatch was a witness to domestic violence between his parents when he was very young and that the death of his father due to a brain tumor \u201cdeeply affected him,\u201d leading to depression and behavioral problems in his teenage years. Citing a background report prepared by probation officials, prosecutors said Hatch also witnessed his dad\u2019s substance abuse issues and started using marijuana when he was only eight years old.<\/p>\n \n\tThe prosecutors based in San Diego, Calif., said it was true Hatch had an \u201cextensive criminal history including prior convictions for resisting arrest, battery, assault, illegal carrying of a firearm, drug trafficking offenses, possession of narcotics, and bringing narcotics into a penitentiary,\u201d but they noted there were no identifiable victims in his pending gun case.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cHe has also been gainfully employed for many years and has continued to work throughout the pendency of this case. These factors weigh in favor of a variance,\u201d prosecutors wrote.<\/p>\n \n\tHatch, a father of nine, was first charged in the case in June 2023 after San Diego police identified him on an Instagram live video shared online by an alleged member of a Neighborhood Crip street gang. The rapper was seen in the video with a gun tucked in his waistband, prosecutors said.<\/p>\n