Tekashi69 was sentenced to another stint in federal prison on Friday for violating the terms of his probation.
Manhattan Federal Judge Paul Engelmayer handed down a three-month term to the Bushwick, Brooklyn, rapper, who’s been appearing before him for the better part of the last decade.
The recording artist, real name Daniel Hernandez, who also goes by 6ix9ine, in July and September copped to violating his release conditions by keeping cocaine and MDMA at his home, plus beating a man inside a Florida shopping mall.
His attorney, Lance Lazzaro, had insisted to the court ahead of the hearing that the mall victim was the aggressor and had excessively taunted and harassed Hernandez over his notoriety and history as a government informant, saying his infamous reputation would put him in grave danger back in prison.
“[P]eriods of incarceration for Mr. Hernandez end up being much more severe, difficult and even dangerous when compared to a typical inmate,” his lawyer wrote. “Due to Mr. Hernandez’ classification, he always serves his jail time segregated and fully isolated from other inmates.”
The 29-year-old infamously flipped on members of the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods in a 2018 murder conspiracy and racketeering case that could have sent him away for life. He ultimately pleaded guilty to gang, gun and drug charges and received a two-year sentence, with Engelmayer at the time calling his cooperation “game changing.”
The judge sent the “GUMMO” rapper back to prison in November 2024 for violating his probation by traveling to Las Vegas, testing positive for methamphetamine and skipping out on drug tests.
Manhattan federal prosecutors said Hernandez violating probation so soon after his release from that stint warranted a harsher term of three to nine months, followed by a multiyear term of supervision, including anger management and drug addiction resources.
“Hernandez is now six years removed from his criminal sentencing; yet he still appears unable to control his temper when slighted by a random stranger,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Rebold wrote in the government’s sentencing submission. “While it is unfortunate that anyone would verbally provoke Hernandez for cooperating with the Government, it is an unfortunate reality that taunting like this is likely [to] recur for the foreseeable future.”
“Hernandez must learn to turn the other cheek and walk away from situations like these moving forward.”
The Daily News reached out to Lazzaro for comment. A Manhattan U.S. Attorney spokesman declined to comment.
