Tekashi 6ix9ine Sentenced to 45 Days in Prison for Skipping Drug Tests, Unauthorized Travel, and Lying to Probation Officer

Tekashi 6ix9ine, born Daniel Hernandez, was sentenced Tuesday to 45 days in prison by a Manhattan federal judge who cited repeated probation violations as evidence of the rapper’s lack of respect for the law. The sentencing comes five years after Judge Paul A. Engelmayer initially handed down a lenient two-year prison sentence, which could have spanned decades if not for Tekashi’s cooperation against the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods.

During the hearing, Judge Engelmayer highlighted the rapper’s five probation violations, which included skipping drug tests, traveling to Las Vegas from his Florida home without proper authorization, and lying to his probation officer. The judge’s message was clear: “You don’t believe the rules apply to you.” He further suggested that Hernandez may have thought his fame and fortune exempted him from following the law. “But the same rules do apply to you,” Engelmayer asserted.

Before receiving the sentence, a remorseful Tekashi 6ix9ine pleaded for leniency. “I’m very sorry,” he told the court. “I’m not minimizing my actions. I fully take responsibility. I let myself down. I let my family down. Give me an opportunity to clean things up.” The rapper insisted that he did not intentionally violate the law and asked not to be viewed as a “bad person.”

Judge Engelmayer ordered that following his prison term, Tekashi 6ix9ine must complete one month of home incarceration, one month of home detention, and a month of curfews as part of an extended probation period. Additionally, he will face electronic monitoring and be prohibited from international travel.

The sentencing marks a continuation of Tekashi 6ix9ine’s legal troubles, which have been highly publicized since his 2018 arrest on racketeering charges for his involvement with the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods. His cooperation with federal authorities, which led to multiple convictions within the gang, earned him leniency during his initial sentencing. In April 2020, he was granted early release due to his heightened risk of severe illness from COVID-19, given his asthma condition.

The judge acknowledged that Tekashi’s latest violations were not “gravely serious” but called them “profound” breaches of trust, emphasizing that the rapper had “repeatedly flown very close to the flame.” Engelmayer pointed to incidents such as his arrest in the Dominican Republic and a speeding violation for driving 136 mph in a 65 mph zone as examples of his continued reckless behavior. “Your repeated brushes with the law underscore the need to get this message across to you,” the judge warned.

Tekashi, who has been in solitary confinement since his October 29 arrest, avoided a potentially harsher three-month sentence due to the severe conditions of his detention.