Tekashi 6ix9ine Granted Immediate Early Prison Release
The rapper’s asthma made him vulnerable to COVID-19.
Tekashi 6ix9ine is set to be released from prison effective immediately, serving the remainder of his two year sentence on house arrest. A New York City judge agreed to Tekashi’s compassionate release earlier today (Thursday, April 2, 2020) due to the rapper’s asthma making him particularly susceptible to catching the Coronavirus (COVID-19). He was scheduled to be released from prison in August 2020.
Tekashi 6ix9ine, real name Daniel Hernandez, will leave a private prison in Jamaica, Queens where he was being held in protective custody because he faced likely retaliation for his testimony against former Nine Trey Bloods members. He was originally sentenced to serve two years on charges of racketeering and firearms. During his highly publicized trial, the rapper provided law enforcement with intimate information on his fellow gang members ultimately leading to the guilty verdicts of multiple former associates. 6ix9ine even testified that Cardi B and rapper Jim Jones were members of the Bloods. His sentencing didn’t prevent him from signing a reported $10 million USD record deal from prison, though.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is extraordinary and unprecedented in modern times in this nation. It presents a clear and present danger to free society for reasons that need no elaboration. COVID-19 presents a heightened risk for incarcerated defendants like Mr. Hernandez with respiratory ailments such as asthma,” New York City Judge Engelmayer wrote in a press statement. “The Centers for Disease Control warns that persons with asthma are at high risk of serious illness if they contract the disease. Further, the crowded nature of municipal jails such as the facility in which Mr. Hernandez is housed present an outsize risk that the COVID-19 contagion, once it gains entry, will spread. And, realistically, a high-risk inmate who contracts the virus while in prison will face challenges in caring for himself.”
According to court filings from his defense team, Tekashi 6ix9ine will serve the remaining time in a house with his mother and other extended family members. Stay tuned for more updates.
In more music news, the first posthumous Pop Smoke single released with “How We Move” featuring an uncredited Dave East verse.
