Tekashi 6ix9ine Will Reportedly Get No Jail Time And Witness Protection For Cooperating With Prosecutors

Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine will reportedly receive no jail time and witness protection in exchange for his full cooperation for an investigation against his Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods gang.

Reports noted that the unsealed plea deal for the rapper (whose real name is Daniel Hernandez) shows that the the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York agreed not to prosecute him for the slew of charges he pleaded guilty to earlier this month.

The 22-year-old had admitted to helping the gang in an attempt to kill a rival, HipHopDX noted, and he faced the potential of spending up to 47 years in prison if convicted of all the charges. The report noted that he is now set to receive no jail time, though a federal judge must still determine the terms of his sentencing in a hearing next January. But as long as Tekashi 6ix9ine cooperates, the government has agreed to recommend a sentence below any mandatory minimum.

Earlier this month, the rapper pleaded guilty to nine counts as part of a plea deal that would have him cooperating with prosecutors in a case against the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods gang he had been in. As KNSD-TV reported, the deal was expected to significantly reduce the amount of time the rapper faced behind bars, but there was no clear indication of just how long that might be.

Tekashi had been arrested in November along with four others — including his manager — after a joint investigation from the New York Police Department, Department of Homeland Security, and the Justice Department’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. They faced a slew of charges including racketeering and gun charges.

The indictment documents claimed that Tekashi and the gang operated across the New York City boroughs of Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn.

Tekashi 6ix9ine had initially pleaded not guilty, with attorney Lance Lazzaro claiming that the tough exterior the rapper put on was really just an act.

“An entertainer who portrays a ‘gangster image’ to promote his music does not make him a member of an enterprise,” Lazzaro said.

Tekashi 6ix9ine Set To Receive No Jail Time & Witness Protection With Full Cooperation https://t.co/cCnbqNUb5d pic.twitter.com/Yc4fW7ScXS

— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) February 17, 2019

What will happen to Tekashi 6ix9ine’s rap career remains a bit more in question. There were reports from TMZ that he had continued to work on a new album from prison, but the terms of his plea deal could put a hitch in any touring or recording plans. The full details of potential restrictions are not yet known.