Tekashi 6ix9ine Sentenced to Additional Time in Prison

A judge in Manhattan sentenced rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine to another three months in prison on Friday, stating he squandered his chance at freedom by again violating his probation.

The artist, whose real name is Daniel Hernandez, appeared in court donning festive red and green stripes in his hair, paired with a red fleece and white Crocs. His legal troubles stemmed from a confrontation where he punched someone he had mocked for being a former gangster informant.

“He continues to be violent,” Judge Paul Engelmayer expressed during the hearing in federal court.

Engelmayer pointedly told Hernandez, “You believe the rules do not apply to you.” This statement underscores the rapper’s recurring issues with the law.

Hernandez acknowledged violating the terms of his supervised release back in August, committing an assault at a shopping mall in Florida. Additionally, he was found to have MDMA and cocaine hidden in his bedroom for personal use.

Previously, the same judge had handed him a two-year sentence after he testified against members of the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods as part of a plea agreement related to a racketeering case in 2019. He became ill with COVID-19 shortly after that.

In November of the previous year, Judge Engelmayer sentenced him to 45 days in prison for failing a drug test and breaching probation by traveling without prior approval.

During Friday’s hearing, the judge emphasized that another prison sentence was “clearly necessary,” highlighting the “extreme abuse of the trust of the court.”

Hernandez requested to serve his new three-month sentence under house arrest in Florida, where he owns a pool house. However, the judge rejected this proposal, calling it merely a “slap on the wrist.” He remarked, “With all due respect, a lot of people would love to live in a house like that.”

Before learning his fate, Hernandez read a lengthy statement detailing various assaults and threats he has faced since he testified. He mentioned being brutally beaten in 2023 and shared incidents involving disturbing threats, including a coffin with a “dead animal” left at his home and a confrontation at a UFC match.

Hernandez remarked to the judge, “I don’t think prison teaches you anything.”

Initially, Engelmayer had considered imposing a longer sentence but was moved by Hernandez’s statement and noted improvements in his mental health from therapy. The judge recommended that Hernandez serve his time in a Florida facility rather than the notorious Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

Following his release, Hernandez will be under an additional 12 months of probation, meaning further trouble could bring him back before the same judge.