ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis rapper and accused gang leader was sentenced in federal court on a gun charge.

Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Arthur Pressley, who goes by the stage name 30 Deep Grimeyy or Grimeyy, was found in possession of a gun as a convicted felon, but had fake gun sale documents made to try and conceal his crime.

Pressley and others were pulled over on the night of Jan. 5, 2021. They were riding in a 2008 Pontiac G8. A St. Louis police officer stopped the Pontiac because the car had a taillight out and had license plates that were registered to a Jeep.

While searching the vehicle, police found a Beretta 92FS 9mm pistol between Pressley and another passenger.

After the traffic stop, Pressley sent texts to the original purchaser of the gun. Pressley asked that person to lie about his owning the gun and to falsify a bill of sale to one of the other people in the Pontiac.

On the first day of the trial in October 2022, Pressley produced a fake copy of the receipt for the gun sale. However, once it was determined the bill of sale was a fake, Pressley opted to plead guilty rather than continue with the trial.

Pressley admitted to having the gun with him multiple times between Oct. 4, 2020, the day after it was purchased, and the date of the traffic stop. Investigators also found pictures of Pressley and the gun on social media accounts belonging to Pressley and his associates. The serial number on the gun in the photos matched the number on the weapon found in the Pontiac.

As a convicted felon, Pressley had been barred from owning or possessing a gun. He was previously convicted of unlawful use of a weapon.

A U.S. District Court judge sentenced Pressley to seven years and eight months in federal prison.