In a significant legal development, controversial rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine, whose real name is Daniel Hernandez, has been handed an additional three-month prison sentence. A federal judge in New York ruled on Friday that the artist violated the conditions of his supervised release stemming from a previous gang-related case.
Judge Rejects Home Confinement, Demands Accountability
The ruling was delivered by Judge Paul Engelmayer in a Manhattan federal court hearing. The judge expressed clear frustration with Hernandez's continued legal troubles, stating that his actions often suggest he believes ordinary rules do not apply to him. The court firmly turned down the rapper's request to serve his penalty under home confinement.
Judge Engelmayer emphasized that another prison term was necessary to send a strong message to the 29-year-old Brooklyn native. This latest sentencing adds to a 45-day jail term Hernandez received late last year for similar breaches of his supervised release rules.
Violations: Assault and Drug Possession
The new sentence stems from two specific incidents. The first was a police search of his Miami home in March, where officers discovered small quantities of cocaine and ecstasy. The second involved an August altercation at a Florida shopping centre, where Hernandez admitted to punching a man who mocked him for his past cooperation with authorities.
During the hearing, Hernandez gave a lengthy speech. He described several harrowing episodes where he and his family faced threats due to his role as a government informant in the gang case. "Unknown individuals left a coffin in front of my house with an animal in it to send me a message," he told the court. "Three masked gunmen held my mom at gunpoint."
A History of Gang Ties and Reduced Sentence
Daniel Hernandez's legal woes are deeply connected to his past affiliation with the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods, a violent New York gang. He admitted his involvement in 2018. However, his cooperation with prosecutors in their racketeering case against other gang members led to a significantly reduced sentence in 2019.
That sentence was two years in prison followed by five years of supervised release. He was also released from federal custody several months early in 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. His lawyer had argued that six months of home detention would be a suitable penalty for the latest violations, but the judge disagreed.
The rapper, who shot to fame with his 2017 hit "Gummo," now faces further time behind bars as the court insists on strict accountability for his actions.
