( CNN ) -- Hip-hop and rap artist Petey Pablo is facing nearly three years in prison after sentencing on a guilty plea of possessing a stolen firearm , according to federal prosecutors . Pablo , whose real name is Moses Barrett , was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in New Bern , North Carolina , to 35 months in prison . The sentencing came following a March guilty plea from the 38-year-old performer , who lives in Wake Forest , North Carolina . According to a statement from Thomas G. Walker , U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina , Pablo was going through security at Raleigh-Durham International Airport on September 11 , 2010 , when a loaded semi-automatic 9 mm pistol was found in his bag . Pablo was attempting to board a flight to Los Angeles , the statement said . Federal authorities determined that the pistol had been stolen during a residential burglary in California in 2005 . Pablo , who is best known for his songs `` Raise Up '' and `` Freek-a-Leek '' is scheduled to begin serving his sentence in December .
Petey Pablo was stopped at a North Carolina airport last September . The rapper and his entourage were detained by police for about an hour after they arrived from New York City on their way to perform in Charlotte. Pablo pleaded guilty in March to possessing a stolen firearm .