6ix9ine Sentenced to Two Years in Prison and Five Years of Supervised Release
6ix9ine has officially been sentenced.
On Wednesday (Dec. 18), 6ix9ine appeared in Manhattan's Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse to learn his fate in the federal racketeering case against him. After spending the past year behind bars, the judge decided that 6ix9ine will not be released today. According to Inner City Press' Matthew Russell Lee, Southern District of New York District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer has sentenced Tekashi to two years in prison and five years of supervised release. The press department for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York confirms the sentence to XXL.
"Mr. Hernandez, please rise. It is the judgment of the court you are to serve a term of 24 months in prison, with five years of supervised release," reads Lee's recounting of the judge's announcement.
According to Lee, the judge also sentenced 6ix9ine to 300 hours of community service. The judge also reportedly said 6ix9ine has to pay a fine of $35,000. The judge reportedly gave Tekashi his well-wishes.
"Mr. Hernandez, the worst part is over," Judge Engelmayer reportedly told the rapper. "There is a great deal to be admired about you. [You've] learned a hard lesson here. I wish you very very well. We are adjourned."
Lee reports that 6ix9ine has served 13 months of his 24-month sentence, so he could be out from behind bars by late 2020. Then again, if 6ix9ine has good behavior there's a chance he could be released even earlier.
Lance Lazzaro, who operates as one of 6ix9ine's attorneys for the case, had reportedly asked Judge Engelmayer to give Tekashi a sentence of time-served and three years of supervised release. Judge Engelmayer deemed 6ix9ine's crimes to be too violent to give him that sentence.
"I cannot agree with your counsel that time served [is] appropriate," reads Lee's tweet about what Judge Engelmayer told Tekashi in court today. "In my judgment, your conduct is too violent and selfish to make 13 months reasonable. You will not be going free today."
Prior to his sentencing, federal prosecutors requested that the judge consider 6ix9ine's role in helping the government convict his Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods associates when deciding what sentence he should get. In a letter to the judge, federal prosecutors said 6ix9ine provided "substantial assistance" with the federal investigations into Nine Trey Members.
Prosecutors said 6ix9ine should be given a lenient sentence in light of "18 U.S.C. § 3553(e) and the factors set forth in Section 5K1.1(a)(1)–(5) of the Guidelines." These statutes serve as guidelines that allow a judge to sentence someone to less than the mandatory minimum based on how much assistance they give to the government.
In addition, 6ix9ine himself wrote the judge a letter asking for leniency.
6ix9ine, who had been facing a mandatory minimum of 47 years in prison when he was first indicted last year, began giving federal authorities information about the criminal activity of Nine Trey members from Nov. 20, 2018, just two days after he was originally arrested. He entered a guilty plea in court on Jan. 23, 2019.
The rapper, who dropped his Dummy Boy project from behind bars last year, testified against his former Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods associates Aljermiah "Nuke" Mack and Anthony "Harv" Ellison this past September. In October, Ellison was convicted of kidnapping 6ix9ine.
See tweets about 6ix9ine's sentencing below.
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