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Will he go to prison or see the light of day on Wednesday? Here’s everything we know.
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Everything to Expect From Tekashi 6ix9ine’s Sentencing
By
Victoria Bekiempis
Here’s the rundown of everything to know about his
bizarre journey from an upstart performer to a 23-year-old who’s facing a possible life sentence. Photo: Frank Hoensch/Redferns
Tekashi 6ix9ine is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday morning, at 10 a.m., in Manhattan Federal Court for crimes related to the Nine Trey Bloods, his former gang. While Nine Trey, an East Coast Bloods offshoot,
helped propel him to fame with the release of “Gummo” — providing him street cred by participating in the music video — his involvement also led to a dramatic downfall. The polarizing rapper legally named Daniel Hernandez could now go to prison. Here’s the rundown of everything to know about
his bizarre journey from an upstart performer to a 23-year-old who’s facing a possible (though unlikely) life sentence.
How did Tekashi’s case start?
In November, the feds
arrested Hernandez and a bunch of his purported 9 Trey associates on racketeering and firearms charges. Federal prosecutors claimed that they conspired as part of a “criminal organization” which made use of violence and drugs to maintain power.
Major courtroom drama unfolded after Hernandez’s arrest. Prosecutors dropped the bombshell allegation that several of his ex-pals might have been plotting a hit on him. Per prosecutors, investigators picked up info through wires that several people wanted to “super violate” him and that “certain high ranking members of the Bloods had authorized violence.”
While Hernandez had initially maintained his innocence — and a
trial date was set for September 2019 — he wound up
pleading guilty in late January.
Wait, why did he plead guilty?
Hernandez copped to nine federal counts under a cooperation deal with the feds, in the hopes of getting a lighter sentence. If Tekashi played ball and did “successfully cooperate,” prosecutors said they would file paperwork moving for a sentence “below any mandatory minimum,” which at the time of his plea was 47 years. Prosecutors also noted “witness protection may be required at a later date.” (TMZ has
claimed Hernandez turned down witness protection so he can keep pursuing music; he’s already
signed a record deal with his former label, 10K Projects, worth a reported $10 million for two albums, one in English and one in Spanish.)
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When Hernandez explained why he was guilty, he said he joined Nine Trey in fall 2017, claiming that “as a member of Nine Trey, the enterprise engaged in such activities including shooting at people, robbing people, and at times drug trafficking.” He also appeared to cop to his role in the Chief Keef shooting in summer 2018.
Did he really snitch?
Yes. So much that the hashtag #Tekashisnitch9 took off.
In September, Hernandez testified in the racketeering case against two purported 9Trey members: Anthony “Harv” Ellison and Aljermiah “Nuke” Mack. On the
first day of his testimony, Hernandez pointed out alleged 9 Trey members who were in his videos for “GUMMO” and “KOODA.” Hernandez claimed that Jordan showed him how to do 9 Trey’s handshake and that Nuke taught him how to make the sign. He also said that rapper Trippie Redd was in another Bloods gang, Five Nine Brims.
On
day two, Hernandez said that rapper Casanova was part of “another” Bloods sect, and that Chief Keef was with the Black Disciples. He went into detail about how 9 Trey members attacked Trippe Redd at his hotel in November 2017 following a rap beef. He claimed that his pals wound up robbing Rap-a-Lot Records associates near Times Square in spring 2018. Hernandez also gave detailed testimony that Ellison
kidnapped him at gunpoint on July 22, 2018. (Ellison was
found guilty of kidnapping Hernandez, and Mack was convicted of distributing drugs. Both were found guilty racketeering conspiracy and face up to life sentences in federal prison.)
Day three of Hernandez’s testimony, however, was the craziest: He said that Dipset rapper Jim Jones was in Nine Trey, and that Cardi B was a member of the Bloods.
So, is Tekashi going to jail?
We won’t know until Wednesday. There’s a lot of speculation that Hernandez, who’s been locked up since his arrest last year, will get “time served” because he cooperated so much. But it’s a bit more complicated than that.
Under the law, Hernandez faces a minimum of some four decades locked up. Because Hernandez stuck to his plea agreement, however, prosecutors last week
formally reccomended a reduced sentence. They said Hernandez was “both incredibly significant and extremely useful,” and that he “provided an insider’s view of Nine Trey and a first-hand account of many acts of violence that [prosecutors] otherwise did not have.” They also said “Other gang members and those in the rap industry have criticized him for cooperating and have openly questioned whether the defendant’s safety could ever be guaranteed” and that “There is no question that the defendant’s life will never be the same because of his cooperation in this case.”
But the plea deal — and request for leniency that was part of it — isn’t binding. This means Hernandez’s sentence is ultimately up to the judge.
Hernandez’s lawyers, meanwhile, asked for a sentence of time served because of this cooperation. His mother, Natividad Perez-Hernandez, and girlfriend, Rachel “Jade” Wattley, also asked for the judge to show mercy.
“I plead with you today, to listen to a mother who knows her son best,” his mother wrote in a letter to the judge, describing him as kind and a good provider for his family. “I know his heart better than any news reporter, record label or fan. I know him sometimes better than he even knows himself.”
“I assure you, that locking up my son, Daniel Hernandez, is an injustice to my family, who relies on him for financial, emotional, and physical support,” she continued, saying it would also be unjust to his daughter and “the many families that he continues to help because his heart will never stop loving people.”
“We need more young people like him who put themselves last to give to others,” she said. “Please don’t judge him by his looks or even the mistakes he had made.”
In her letter, Wattley said that when she met Hernandez, “he was nothing like how the internet portrayed him to be. He was the total opposite. He was exceptionally respectful, outgoing, very sweet, kind-hearted and a genuine generous person.”
Hernandez also asked for mercy, writing in a letter to the judge, “It honestly feels like my world is crashing down.”
What happens after the sentencing?
If Hernandez gets time served, he would get out tomorrow, on Wednesday. He could also get out on supervised release, meaning he’d periodically have to check in with a probation officer and stay out of trouble to stay out of jail.
And if Hernandez gets sentenced to prison, it’s not clear where he’ll go. A veteran criminal defense lawyer predicts that if he does wind up going to prison — which he believes is highly unlikely due to all of Hernandez’s cooperation — it would be a minimum security facility. The judge could make a recommendation to the Bureau of Prisons, but it’s ultimately up to them where Hernandez winds up.