B.G. Arrested: Federal Charges, Sentence, and Probation Fight

New Orleans rapper Christopher Dorsey, known as B.G., was arrested in November 2009 after New Orleans police found three handguns in a stolen vehicle during a traffic stop. The arrest of the rapper B.G. led to federal firearms and obstruction of justice charges, a 14-year prison sentence, and years of restrictive supervised release that produced a nationally watched fight over whether the government could control his lyrics. His supervised release ended on January 31, 2026, leaving him free of legal restrictions for the first time in more than 16 years.¹

The 2009 Traffic Stop

On November 3, 2009, New Orleans police stopped a vehicle that had been stolen from an Alamo rental car parking lot in eastern New Orleans. Inside were Dorsey, Jerod Fedison, and Demounde Pollard, a 17-year-old with no criminal record. Officers recovered three semi-automatic handguns, loaded magazines, and two extended clips. Two of the three firearms had been reported stolen.²

Dorsey had three prior felony drug convictions from 1998 to 2003, which made it illegal for him to possess a firearm under federal law. The case moved from state court to the federal system, with the ATF and the New Orleans Police Department leading the investigation.³

The Obstruction Scheme

What turned a gun-possession case into a far more serious one happened after the arrest. From the Orleans Parish Jail, Fedison made recorded phone calls discussing a plan to have Pollard, the teenager with no record, claim the three handguns belonged to him. If Pollard took responsibility, neither Dorsey nor Fedison could be prosecuted as felons in possession.²

Pollard signed a false affidavit claiming the weapons were his. On the same recorded calls, Fedison instructed Dorsey to pay Pollard’s bond and to pressure the teenager into selling drugs to repay the debt. ATF investigators used the recordings to unravel the scheme. Pollard eventually cooperated, admitted the affidavit was false, pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony, and was sentenced to 30 months.⁴ Fedison pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct justice and felon in possession of a firearm and received 240 months, or 20 years.³

Federal Charges, Guilty Plea, and 14-Year Sentence

A federal grand jury indicted Dorsey on two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice.⁵ Prosecutors introduced rap videos as evidence, arguing they showed Dorsey’s association with individuals allegedly connected to violence in New Orleans. The defense contested that use of his artistic output, and the judge declined the prosecution’s request to impose a harsher sentence based on the videos.⁶

On December 7, 2011, Dorsey pleaded guilty to all three counts without a plea agreement. On July 18, 2012, U.S. District Judge Helen G. Berrigan sentenced him to 168 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.³

Prison and the Terms of His Release

Dorsey served roughly 11 years before being moved from federal prison to a halfway house on September 5, 2023.⁷ On January 24, 2024, a court granted a reduction of his sentence to time served, and he transitioned to supervised release on February 1, 2024.⁸

The conditions were extensive. He was ordered to complete 400 hours of unpaid community service, pursue a GED or vocational training equivalent, and participate in an approved drug and alcohol treatment program. He needed court permission to engage in any self-employment and to travel outside Las Vegas, where he was living. He was prohibited from associating with convicted felons without prior approval and barred from possessing firearms or dangerous weapons.⁷

The 2024 Probation Violation and the Fight Over His Lyrics

Within a month of starting supervised release, Dorsey performed at a Las Vegas concert with Lil Boosie (Torrence Hatch Jr.). He had also released a collaborative album with Gucci Mane (Radric Davis), Choppers & Bricks, in December 2023, and had filmed music videos. Both Boosie and Gucci Mane have felony convictions.⁹

His probation officer cited two violations: engaging in self-employment without prior written approval and associating with convicted felons.¹⁰ A warrant issued on March 21, 2024, and he was taken into custody in Las Vegas on March 27. He was released on a personal recognizance bond and ordered to appear in federal court in New Orleans, where his attorney David Chesnoff took the case.⁹

The case landed before U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan. Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurice Landrieu asked the court to order Dorsey to “refrain from promoting and glamorizing gun violence and murder” in his music. Chesnoff argued that such a restriction would amount to government censorship. “It would be unfair to someone of his talent to be told what they can say,” he told the court. “It becomes somewhat paternalistic, your honor.”¹¹

At a June 18, 2024 hearing, the government agreed Dorsey could travel, perform, and release music as long as he informed his probation officer in advance.¹² Judge Morgan then issued a written ruling in early July 2024:

She found no violation of the terms of supervision.
She ordered Dorsey to provide the U.S. Probation Office with copies of any song lyrics he wrote before their production or promotion.
She denied the government’s request to prohibit him from glorifying gun violence, writing in a five-page ruling that the defense argument that such a ban would be “an unconstitutional prior restraint of free speech” may be correct.
If submitted lyrics were deemed inconsistent with rehabilitation goals, prosecutors could move to toughen his release terms.
She ordered him to notify probation in advance of any professional interactions with convicted felons and to report immediately if he later learned an associate had a felony record.

PEN America called the lyrics-submission requirement “a slap in the face to free expression.”¹³ Chesnoff framed the outcome as a partial victory, saying the court “did not restrict his artistic work by permitting his lyrics to be controlled by the government.”¹⁴

Where Things Stand Now

Dorsey’s supervised release ended on January 31, 2026, according to his girlfriend, Brooke Jones.¹ The lyrics-submission requirement and the association restrictions no longer apply. Juvenile has confirmed that the two are recording together, with a joint project in the works,¹⁵ and Dorsey has indicated new Hot Boys music is forthcoming.¹⁶

1
Hot 97. Rapper B.G. Officially Off Probation
2
NOLA.com. Local Rapper Baby Gangsta Indicted on Federal Gun and Obstruction Charges
3
U.S. Department of Justice. Christopher Dorsey Sentenced to 168 Months
4
U.S. Department of Justice. Demounde Pollard Sentenced
5
Billboard. Rapper B.G. Indicted on Gun, Conspiracy Charges
6
FindLaw. B.G., Ex-Hot Boys Rapper, Gets 14 Years in Prison
7
TMZ. B.G. Hot Boys Prison Release Community Service Special Conditions
8
The Guardian. Rapper B.G. Prison Lyrics New Orleans
9
Rolling Stone. B.G. Arrest Probation Violation Boosie Gucci Mane
10
NOLA.com. Authorities Say Hot Boy B.G. Violated Probation by Performing
11
NOLA.com. Federal Judge Weighs Limiting Rapper’s Lyrics While on Probation
12
WDSU. New Orleans Native Rapper Christopher ‘BG’ Dorsey Can Perform
13
PEN America. Judge’s Ruling on Rapper’s Lyrics Represents a Slap in the Face to Free Expression
14
ABC News. Judge Orders Rapper B.G. to Turn Over Lyrics
15
Revolt. Studio Sessions: Juvenile Talks Album With B.G.
16
Axios. B.G. New Album Hot Boys First Amendment