Rapper and Instagram star Tekashi 6ix9ine has pleaded guilty to racketeering and drugs and gun charges and is cooperating with federal prosecutors, according to newly unsealed court documents.
Rapper and Instagram star Tekashi 6ix9ine has pleaded guilty to racketeering, drugs and gun charges and is cooperating with federal prosecutors, according to newly unsealed court documents, several news agencies reported.
The heavily tattooed Brooklyn rapper, whose real name is Daniel Hernandez, entered his plea last Saturday. Prosecutors unsealed the documents Friday after getting a judge's approval.
The 22-year-old "Gummo" singer acknowledged he was a member of the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods and said he helped gang members rob people at gunpoint and in one instance, "I helped nine members of the Nine Trey attempt to kill a rival gang member," the documents said, according to The New York Times.
He did so "to maintain or increase my own standing in Nine Trey," he told prosecutors. The gang was responsible for "shooting people, robbing people and, at times, drug trafficking," the documents said.
He apologized to the judge and "to anyone who has hurt, to family, friends and fans for what I have done and who I have let down," according to the filings.
Hernandez joined the gang in 2017. Prosecutors said the gang engaged in murder, robbery and drug trafficking in Manhattan, the Bronx and Brooklyn for at least the past six years according to CBS News.
In November, Hernandez was denied bail because he was likely to be a danger to the community a judge ruled, citing evidence that indicated he participated in multiple acts of violence. U.S. Magistrate Henry B. Pitman labeled the evidence against Hernandez "troubling."
In December, more than 13,000 people followed a Facebook page advocating breaking Hernandez out of a Brooklyn jail. The rapper had a meteoric rise after his "Day69: Graduation Day" album landed in the top records on iTunes in February 2018.
He had a multi-platinum hit with Nicki Minaj on "Fefe," which reached No. 3 on the pop charts.
The Nine Trey gang "wreaked havoc on New York City, engaging in brazen acts of violence," Geoffrey Berman, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said when the charges against Hernandez were announced.
His cooperation with prosecutors could lessen his punishment. If he had been convicted of the charges, he would have faced a minimum of 47 years and a maximum sentence of life in prison, prosecutors said.
He has been moved to an undisclosed location.
His lawyers did not publicly comment on his plea deal, but attorney Dawn Florio said efforts were underway to "protect him and his family and his loved ones, for their safety," The Times reported.
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