Tekashi 6ix9ine was released from prison yesterday as a judge ruled that he posed no danger to the community.
In a rapid turn of events, Tekashi 6ix9ine is now a free man. The rapper, who was serving time in a Manhattan prison after being convicted in a federal racketeering case, has been granted an early release following his lawyer’s incessant plea to free him on the grounds that his medical condition makes him a fatal target for the COVID-19 threat.
Judge Engelmayer, who recently refused the request suggesting it’s the business of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, was assured he was uniquely qualified to make the decision in a further letter from Lance Lazzaro, Tekashi 6ix9ine’s attorney. According to Page Six, the judge decided in court moments ago that the rapper should serve out his remaining four months in home confinement.
According to Judge Engelmayer, “The defendant must remain at his residence except to seek any necessary medical treatment or to visit his attorney, in each instance with prior notice and approval by the Probation Department,” he advised, per Page Six. In addition, Tekashi will be tracked with a GPS and will stay at a residence approved by his probation officer.
Early reports were that the rapper’s release was pending, but the judge allowed federal prosecutors an allotted time to decide if they wanted to refute the decision by 5 p.m. Wednesday. However, they stated in a letter that “In the event the Court finds ‘extraordinary and compelling reasons’ presented by the defendant’s medical condition, placing him at high risk during the COVID-19 outbreak, the Government does not oppose the defendant’s motion for compassionate release,” wrote US Attorney Geoffrey Berman.
Tekashi 6ix9ine, who was immediately released from custody today (Thursday), was initially facing up to 47 years in prison. After cooperating with the prosecution to implicate several members of his former Nine Trey Blood gang, the rapper watched his sentence rapidly reduce. First, prosecutors agreed to drop one count for possession of a firearm, which left the rapper facing up to 37 years. Later after trial, he was sentenced to just 2 years behind bars and 5 years of supervised release but he was scheduled for early release this summer around the end of July. In a riveting plot twist that will forever be a part of hip-hop news history, the rapper has been granted an even earlier release amid the coronavirus outbreak in New York.
Who thought this day would come so soon? Let’s put some lay some odds on how many days we think the rapper will trend on social media. It’s corona time, we could all use an extra buck.
