Tekashi 6ix9ine Sentenced to 2 Years in Prison, Expected Out in 2020

Thirteen months after his arrest on federal charges, Tekashi 6ix9ine has been sentenced to 24 months in prison with five years of supervised release, a judge announced in a Manhattan courtroom today (December 18). The sentence includes time served, which is 13 months, meaning 6ix9ine is expected out of prison by the end of 2020, but an exact release date has not been established. 6ix9ine has also been given a $35,000 fine and will be required to perform 300 hours of community service. The terms of probation, which will begin when he’s out of prison, stipulate that he cannot commit any further crimes.

Prior to handing down his sentencing, Judge Paul A. Engelmayer summarized some of 6ix9ine’s noteworthy beefs, including the Barclays Center altercation with Casanova and the attempted shooting of Chief Keef in Times Square, independent journalist Matthew Russell Lee reports.

Judge Engelmayer also referenced 6ix9ine’s breakout “GUMMO” music video, which featured alleged gang members. “You have not been charged with using the members of the gangs as extras. You used them to much effect in ‘GUMMO,’” Judge Engelmayer said. “It was your artistic license to do that. You are not being sentenced for that.”

Later, Judge Engelmayer said that he’s followed the online conversation surrounding 6ix9ine, stating, “I appreciated the memes, whether at your expense or mine.” He also compared the subject matter of 6ix9ine’s lyrics and trial to other artists in the industry: “It’s a common motif.... Bruce Springsteen sang about Murder Incorporated, you essentially joined Murder Incorporated.”

At one point, Judge Engelmayer invited a young woman who had been shot in the foot during the crossfire of a July 2018 attack ordered by 6ix9ine to speak in the courtroom. Identified only as L.L., the woman described how her life had been affected in the aftermath of the incident. “I just want to say I have scars on my back, I have scars on my knee, I have scars on my foot,” she said. “I’m still in physical therapy.... I want him to apologize for what he did.”

6ix9ine was also given an opportunity to speak in the courtroom before he was sentenced. The rapper choked back tears as he recounted his past year and apologized to the people his actions affected, including L.L. He also spoke about meeting two young fans with terminal cancer through the Make-A-Wish Foundation prior to his arrest. “I failed those kids,” he said. “I failed millions of kids and my own kids, two beautiful daughters that I haven’t spoken to since I’ve been in here.”

At one point during his statement, 6ix9ine also recognized that his biological father—a man he hadn’t seen since he was a child—was in the courtroom, by which he was audibly distressed. The man raised his hand at one point during the court proceedings in an attempt to make a statement. The judge did not acquiesce.

6ix9ine was arrested in November 2018 on federal racketeering and firearms charges. By the time he pled guilty in February to nine counts in the federal case—including charges of racketeering conspiracy, multiple firearms offenses, and narcotics trafficking—it was reported that he was cooperating with prosecutors.

In September, 6ix9ine testified against Aljermiah “Nuke” Mack and Anthony “Harv” Ellison—two alleged members of the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods. Three of the charges against Ellison were in connection with the alleged kidnapping, robbery, and assault of 6ix9ine in July 2018.

6ix9ine detailed his affiliation with Nine Trey, outlined the alleged kidnapping and assault, discussed feuds with other rappers including Trippie Redd and Chief Keef, and testified about Jim Jones’ alleged gang affiliation. Following 6ix9ine’s testimony, Ellison and Mack were found guilty.

Earlier this month, federal prosecutors offered the judge their official recommendation that 6ix9ine receive a reduced sentence. Prosecutors commended the rapper for offering “critical insight” that helped the government obtain “timely convictions for all defendants.” 6ix9ine himself wrote a letter to the judge expressing remorse and promising to “dedicate a portion of my life to helping others not make the same mistakes that I’ve made.”

Several of Tekashi 6ix9ine’s legal cases outside of the federal case were settled in the recent past. In October 2018, he was sentenced to probation, stemming from a 2015 guilty plea to the use of a child in a sexual performance. Following his arrest in the federal case, however, a judge revoked his probation and closed the case.

Also in October 2018, Santiago Albarran, the young man who accused 6ix9ine of choking him at a Houston mall, submitted an affidavit of non-prosecution. The case was dismissed in November 2019.

In November 2018, shortly before he was arrested and charged in the federal case, 6ix9ine took a deal in a case involving the alleged assault of a police officer; he pled guilty to “disorderly conduct” and the violation did not appear on his criminal record.

6ix9ine’s album DUMMY BOY was released the month he was arrested on federal charges. Read “Why Tekashi 6ix9ine’s Testimony Matters for the Future of Hip-Hop on Trial” on the Pitch.

Additional reporting by Noah Yoo and Madison Bloom.

This article was originally published on Wednesday, December 18 at 12:52 p.m. Eastern. It was last updated on December 18 at 1:48 p.m. Eastern.

Originally Appeared on Pitchfork