Tekashi 6ix9ine faces 32 years to life in prison
Tekashi 6ix9ine was arrested on Sunday by federal agents and charged with a litany of crimes, including armed robbery, conspiracy to commit murder, and drug distribution.
At a hearing on Monday afternoon, prosecutors laid out their case against 6ix9ine and four of his associates who were also arrested, as Rolling Stone reports.
The charges are the result of a five-year investigation into the criminal activities of the Bloods street gang known as Nine Trey Bloods, of which 6ix9ine is said to be a member. Specifically, 6ix9ine is alleged to have been involved in an April 2018 armed robbery. As his crew held up a rival gang member at gunpoint, 6ix9ine allegedly sat in a nearby vehicle and filmed the entire incident. Investigators later found the stolen items inside 6ix9ine’s house.
6ix9ine was also charged with possession of an AR-15, and was allegedly involved in two shootings. In April 2018, a member of his crew opened fire inside Brooklyn’s Barclays Center where 6ix9ine was performing. Three months later, 6ix9ine allegedly ordered the shooting of a bystander who disrespected Nine Trey.
“Members and associates of the Enterprise promoted and celebrated the criminal conduct of the Enterprise, namely narcotics distribution, acts involving violence, and the use of firearms, in music and on social media,” the indictment reads. “The purposes of the Enterprise included preserving and protecting the power, territory, and profits of the Enterprise through acts involving murder… and threats of violence.”
All in all, 6ix9ine and his associates face 17 federal charges. If found guilty, 6ix9ine faces a minimum of 32 years and a maximum of life in prison. A federal judge denied his attorney’s request for bail.
Lawyers for 6ix9ine contend that the rapper had only a loose association with the gang, saying he had hired them to work as his security detail. Prior to his arrest on Sunday, 6ix9ine fired his entire team, including his manager, alleging that they had stolen money from him.
Prosecutors said they prematurely took 6ix9ine into custody for fear of his life. After he fired members of his team, federal agents reportedly discovered credible threats of “retaliation” against 6ix9ine.
Beyond the federal prison time he faces, the arrest also likely violated the terms of 6ix9ine’s existing probation stemming from a 2015 sex crime case involving a child, as well as for a disorderly conduct charge stemming from an altercation he had with a police officer in May of this year. He faces four years behind bars for violating his probation.
