Dennis Farina charged with weapons possession

The Law and Order actor was charged with three counts of carrying a loaded weapon. All charges come from his May arrest when he was detained by airport security while trying to board a plane. The former police offer of nearly twenty years tried to get by security with a .22 caliber semi-automatic pistol in his briefcase. Farina is looking at up to two and half years in jail and $3,000 in fines if he's convicted on all three misdemeanors. The first count is carrying a weapon in a secured area. The second is possession of a concealed weapon. And the third is possession of a loaded weapon in a public place.

However, the LA county District Attorney is not charging the 64 year-old actor with a felony which would have carried more serious punishment and a larger fine. A spokesman for the DA explained that the office felt a misdemeanor was appropriate.

About the arrest Dennis Farina has said, "It is my own stupidity to find myself in this embarrassing situation."