Ja Rule Released From Prison Early, Tax-Evasion Edition

Rapper spent 20 months behind bars for criminal possession of a weapon before ending up incarcerated for failing to pay income taxes

Ja Rule is a relatively free man.

After spending nearly 23 months in two separate prisons for tax evasion and criminal possession of a weapon, the rapper was released from the Federal Correctional Institution in Ray Brook, N.Y., this morning.

His official release date remains July 28 and he will serve out the rest of his sentence under home confinement, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Ja Rule was sentenced to 28 months for tax evasion but was able to serve that sentence concurrently with his 24 months on the weapon conviction. He was released four months' early from Mid-State Correctional Facility in Marcy, N.Y., on the weapons rap, after which he was transferred to the federal facility in Ray Brook.

"My client Jeffrey Atkins (aka Ja Rule) was released this morning...to serve out his federal time obligation due under the terms set forth in accordance with home confinement which were secured by his attorney Stacy Richman," a rep for the "Holla Holla" artist said in a statement to TMZ.

"At present, he looks forward to spending some time with his family while he completes his memoir."

We bet he has some tales to tell.