Careers of Clifford ‘T.I.’ Harris Jr. and Tameka ‘Tiny’ Harris span numerous genres, from music and television to fashion and philanthropy. However, alongside their fame and success, T.I. and Tiny have also been entangled in a series of legal disputes. Stay tuned as we unfold the legal saga of T.I. and Tiny, keeping you informed every step of the way.
Legal Issues Begin
T.I.’s encounters with law enforcement can be traced back to the time when he was a teenager dealing drugs. He had been arrested several times by the age of 14.
In March 2004, the rapper was sentenced to three years in prison for violating his probation from a 1998 conviction for violation of the Georgia Controlled Substances Act and giving false information. After serving about a year, he was released on probation but earned multiple probation violations for offenses such as possession of a firearm and marijuana.
In 2006, Harris was arrested for an outstanding probation violation warrant from Florida, claiming that he did not fulfill the required community service hours for a 2003 battery of a female sheriff deputy. The rapper was released on bail shortly after being arrested and was expected to surrender to Florida state authorities the following week.
Firearms Charges
In October 2007, Harris was arrested and charged with two felonies: possession of three unregistered machine guns and two silencers and possession of firearms by a convicted felon. The arrest was made as Harris tried to purchase the guns from a cooperating witness with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, hours before the BET Hip-Hop Awards.
The following year, T.I. pled guilty to these charges and was sentenced to a year and a day in prison and ordered to pay a $100,000 fine. In addition, he had to perform 1,000 hours of community service.
Harris began serving his sentence in May 2009 in Forrest City, Arkansas and was released from prison and transferred to a halfway house in December 2009.
Drug Charges and Probation Violations
Troubles continued for T.I. in 2010 when he and Tiny were arrested in Los Angeles for alleged possession of a controlled substance. While the substance was reported as ecstasy, the charges were later dropped due to insufficient evidence. However, the arrest constituted a probation violation for T.I., resulting in an 11-month prison sentence.
On October 25, the drug charges against T.I. were dropped. The rapper was released from Forrest City and sent to a community living facility to serve out the rest of his 11-month sentence on August 31, 2011.
T.I. was sent back to federal custody on September 1, 2011, due to a dispute involving his transport from the prison in Arkansas to the halfway house facility in Atlanta. He was then released from the halfway house on September 29, 2011. However, things were just getting started.
On May 16, 2018, Harris was arrested for misdemeanor charges of simple assault, disorderly conduct, and public drunkenness in Henry County, Georgia. Two years later, in September 2020, the US Securities and Exchange Commission charged the artist for his involvement in two fraudulent initial coin offerings.
Sexual Abuse Allegations
More recently, allegations of sexual abuse have clouded T.I. and Tiny’s reputations. In January 2021, Sabrina Peterson, who was a former friend of the couple, alleged on an Instagram post that T.I. put a gun to her head and threatened to kill her in 2009:
“You PUT A GUN TO MY HEAD IN FRONT OF CHILDREN & I NEVER CALLED THE POLICE ON YOU! But for years, you have painted me as the VILLAIN!”
After Sabrina’s allegations surfaced, more than 30 women and at least one man accused Harris, Tiny, and their associates of forced drugging, kidnapping, rape, and intimidation since at least 2005. Harris initially denied the allegations, claiming that all of his sexual encounters had been consensual:
“Whatever we ever have done has been done with consensual adults who are into what we are into and like what we like. If we want something, we know exactly where to get it. We’ve never forced anybody; we’ve never drugged anybody against their will; we’ve never held anybody against their will. We’ve never made anybody do anything. We never sexually trafficked anything.”
However, due to the severity of the allegations, the production of ‘T.I. & Tiny: Friends & Family Hustle’ was suspended.
The couple’s attorney described the allegations as ‘unsubstantiated and baseless’ and denied all. Meanwhile, Peterson sued T.I. and Tiny for defamation and for being harrassed after the Instagram post. As a response, Harrises’ attorney called the claims ‘meritless.’
In May 2021, the Los Angeles Police Department announced that T.I. and Tiny were under investigation for multiple allegations of sexual assault. However, despite the serious allegations, prosecutors have shared that they will not be pressing charges against the couple, citing the expired statute of limitations as their reason for not going forward.
Harrises’ attorney Holley issued a statement after the news, which read:
“Mr. and Mrs. Harris are pleased, but not surprised, by the District Attorney’s decision to dismiss these meritless allegations. We appreciate the DA’s careful review of the case and are grateful to be able to put the matter behind us and move on.”
On the other hand, the victim’s attorney Blackburn claimed this decision doesn’t vindicate the couple for drugging and raping the victim.
As of now, the couple maintains their innocence.