( 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 . A semi-automatic pistol was found in his bag , and authorities determined that it was stolen . Pablo pleaded guilty in March to possessing a stolen firearm .