Perry Redd was convicted of renewed drug charges that were filed against him after he broke a plea agreement with federal prosecutors.

Perry Redd was convicted today of renewed drug charges that were filed against him after he broke a plea agreement with federal prosecutors.Redd was convicted of conspiracy to possess crack cocaine, criminal contempt of court, simple possession and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.The jury deliberated for several hours on Friday before returning its verdict in the early afternoon. The case was tried on Chattanooga, where it had been transferred from Knoxville.Sentencing is set for 2 p.m. July 10. Redd now faces the potential of more prison time than the 10 years and three months he originally agreed to.
Redd was indicted as Perry Dawhayne McCreary-Redd but has always gone by the name Perry Redd.He is a one-time armed robber who became a prominent community activist, and was then arrested in 2004 with a loaded handgun and a vial of crack cocaine.Later, he agreed to plead guilty to some charges in exchange for dismissal of others, and was sentenced to 10 years and three months. Part of his plea agreement was that he could appeal the length of his sentence, but would not appeal the conviction of charges.But Redd fired his lawyer and, representing himself, successfully challenged the convictions. He then claimed that the language in the appeals court decision not only overturned his sentence but voided the entire plea agreement.But federal prosecutors prevailed in their position that he had violated his plea agreement, and were free to reopen his case, seek a longer sentence if convicted, and even use as evidence the statements he made to authorities after he signed off on his plea agreement.