Tekashi 6ix9ine dodges potential decades in prison thanks to 'extraordinary cooperation' with prosecutors (2024)

Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine was sentenced to two years in prison by a judge who said his extraordinary cooperation with prosecutors let him dodge potential decades in prison but did not absolve him entirely for using a violent gang as his "personal hit squad."

Key points:

  • Tekashi 6ix9ine had his sentence reduced after testifying against his gang mates earlier this year
  • The rapper has already served 13 months and will be released in late 2020
  • He was trolled by fellow rappers during the trial, such as Snoop Dogg, who called him a sellout

The 23-year-old performer, whose real name is Daniel Hernandez, could have faced a mandatory minimum 37 years in prison for crimes that included orchestrating a shooting in which an innocent bystander was wounded.

In addition to the reduced prison sentence, US District Judge Paul A Engelmayer also fined him $US35,000 ($51,000) and ordered him to perform 300 hours of community service after he pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges accusing him of joining and directing violence by the gang known as Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods.

Tekashi 6ix9ine has already served 13 months and will be released in late 2020.

The three-hour sentencing proceeding Wednesday included a moment where the rapper seemed visibly shaken to see his natural father, someone he hasn't been in contact with since age nine, among the spectators in the courtroom.

When his father later stood up and tried to address the judge, Tekashi 6ix9ine did not turn around to look at him.

His lawyer and a prosecutor agreed the man should not speak.

A woman who identified herself only as LL sobbed as she blamed the rapper for the day she was shot in the foot.

She demanded an apology and Tekashi 6ix9ine obliged, saying he would pay her medical bills.

After his arrest, Tekashi 6ix9ine shed the outlaw reputation he'd curated online and testified against his gang mates earlier this year, causing some to label him a "snitch".

The testimony helped get the convictions of two high-ranking Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods members.

Judge Engelmayer said he found some of internet memes during the trial funny, even when they were at the expense of Tekashi 6ix9ine and himself, but he harshly criticised those who mocked Tekashi 6ix9ine's cooperation.

"Your cooperation was impressive. It was game changing. It was complete and it was brave," the judge said.

But he said the amount of time the rapper has already spent in prison was not enough for the violence of his crimes.

He noted that many artists sang about organised crime, citing Bruce Springsteen's song Murder Incorporated.

"You, Mr Hernandez, essentially joined Murder Incorporated," Judge Englemayer said.

The judge said there was no reason for it since Tekashi 6ix9ine had achieved commercial success and fame before he decided to "join the gang and use it as your personal hit squad".

'I got the street credibility'

Prior to his sentencing, Tekashi 6ix9ine expressed regret for joining the gang, apologising to his family, his fans and the victims in the case.

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"I made a lot of bad choices in life, but that does not make me a bad person," he said in a lengthy letter he read in court.

He shared similar remorse for his actions in a letter he wrote last week to Judge Engelmayer, discussing the relief he felt when he was arrested and his plan to make amends by warning others not to follow in his path.

Prosecutors have described Nine Trey as one of the most violent outgrowths of United Bloods Nation, with members throughout the country.

Tekashi 6ix9ine relocated his family before his cooperation became publicly known, and then he was moved to a different prison facility and a unit with no gang members, the Government said.

His cooperation might make him eligible for a witness protection program, though his distinctive facial tattoos — including a large the numerals 69 on his forehead — could make concealing his identity challenging.

In September testimony, Tekashi 6ix9ine told jurors his role in Nine Trey was to "just keep making hits and be the financial support for the gang… so they could buy guns and stuff like that."

Asked what he got in return, he responded: "My career. I got the street credibility. The videos, the music, the protection — all of the above."

Last year, he had a multiplatinum hit song, Fefe, with Nicki Minaj, which peaked at number three on the US pop charts, and Stoopid, featuring imprisoned rapper Bobby Shmurda.

Tekashi 6ix9ine was repeatedly trolled during the trial by rappers like The Game and Snoop Dogg, who wrote on Instagram that he was a sellout compared with his friend Martha Stewart, who once served a five-month prison for lying about a stock sale.

AP

Tekashi 6ix9ine dodges potential decades in prison thanks to 'extraordinary cooperation' with prosecutors (2024)
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