Federal authorities have arrested rapper Tekashi69 on racketeering charges, which may see the 22-year-old rapper, whose real name is Daniel Hernandez, get life in prison sentence.
The arrests appear to be connected to a shooting at a party last month on the Upper East Side
Among those arrested are the victim, Faheem “Crippy” Walter, who was shot during the fight, and Tekashi69’s recently-fired former manager, 36-year-old Kifano “Shotti” Jordan. Jensel “Ish” Butler was also arrested.
They are all charged with racketeering and firearms possession.
6ix9ine was detained without bail until a Tuesday bail hearing. Judge Henry Pitman cited the discovery of evidence from a gunpoint robbery and an automatic pistol found in his home as reason to deny bail.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Longyear said a backpack stolen during a gunpoint robbery in April was found during a raid at 6ix9ine’s Brooklyn residence, along with an automatic pistol.
“The defendant is quite violent,” the prosecutor said of a man whose debut album, Day 69, was among the most downloaded records on iTunes
Longyear said 6ix9ine was captured on surveillance video as he sat in a car and filmed the scene in Times Square when his co-defendants carried out a violent robbery against a rival gang member.
The prosecutor said he was also part of a video boasting about shots recently fired by a co-defendant in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
Longyear also said the rapper was a threat to flee because of his worldwide connections, hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and the knowledge that a conviction would bring a mandatory minimum sentence of 32 years in prison and as much as life.
Pitman ordered 6ix9ine held until a Tuesday bail hearing, saying he was concerned about the danger to the community, particularly because the rapper could direct others to carry out acts of violence.
6ix9ine was among five people charged in an indictment containing racketeering and firearms charges. The indictment alleged that he participated in the July shooting of a bystander in Brooklyn and the gunpoint robbery of one of his gang’s rivals last spring.
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