Everyone remembers where they were when the photos of Daniel Hernandez—better known as Tekashi 6ix9ine—sitting in a courtroom witness box started hitting the internet. It felt surreal. The rainbow hair, the "69" tattoos covering his face, and the neon-colored grill all contrasted sharply against the drab, serious wood paneling of a federal court. He wasn't there to perform. He was there to dismantle the very gang he had spent the last year bragging about in every single music video.
The Tekashi 6ix9ine plea deal didn't just change the trajectory of his life; it basically rewrote the rulebook for how high-profile racketeering cases play out in the social media era. You had a guy facing 47 years to life. That is a terrifying number. Most people would crumble. He didn't just crumble; he flipped. Honestly, the level of cooperation he provided was so massive that even the federal prosecutors seemed a little stunned by how much he was willing to say.
The 47-Year Problem
When the feds picked up Hernandez in November 2018, they weren't playing around. The indictment was a laundry list of violence: racketeering, conspiracy to commit murder, armed robbery, and drug trafficking. This wasn't just "rapper stuff." We’re talking about the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods, a subset of the United Blood Nation that the government alleged was running wild in New York.
💡 You might also like: Hope Floats: Where to Watch the 90s Romance Without the Stress
Initially, he pleaded not guilty. Standard move. But the reality of the situation set in quickly.
If he went to trial and lost—which, given the wiretap evidence and surveillance footage the feds had, was almost a certainty—he was going to die in prison. Or at least spend his entire youth there. He was 22 years old. Facing 47 years means you’re coming out at 69. The irony of that number wasn't lost on anyone. By February 1, 2019, the tune changed. He entered a guilty plea to nine counts and officially became a "cooperating witness."
Why the Feds Loved This Deal
You might wonder why the government would let a guy who admitted to being part of a violent gang off so easy. The answer is simple: leverage.
The Tekashi 6ix9ine plea deal was a gold mine for the Southern District of New York (SDNY). Hernandez wasn't just some low-level lookout; he was the bank. He was the guy funding the operations. Because he was so integrated into the business side of the gang, he knew where the bodies were buried—sometimes literally.
💡 You might also like: The Cast of Ghosted: Who Made This Action-Rom-Com Actually Work
He gave them everything.
- He identified top-ranking members like Anthony "Harv" Ellison and Aljermiah "Nuke" Mack.
- He explained the gang's "lineup" structure, detailing who ran the streets and who ran things from inside prison.
- He testified about the kidnapping incident where he was pistol-whipped and robbed of his jewelry.
- He even pointed out gang members in his own music videos, like "Gummo," effectively turning his art into a roadmap for the prosecution.
The prosecutors called his cooperation "extraordinary." That's legal speak for "he told us things we didn't even know we needed to ask."
The Sentencing Surprise
Fast forward to December 2019. The hip-hop world was convinced he was either getting out immediately or getting a decade. Judge Paul Engelmayer had a different plan. He acknowledged that the rapper’s testimony was "game-changing," but he also didn't want to let him off scot-free for the violence he helped facilitate.
He got two years.
👉 See also: Why the American Made Trailer Movie Still Hits Different Years Later
Since he had already served 13 months, he was looking at a 2020 release. Then, the world broke. COVID-19 hit the prison system, and because Hernandez has asthma, his legal team argued he was a sitting duck for the virus. In April 2020, he was granted compassionate release to serve the rest of his time in home confinement.
The Aftermath: Did He Actually Get Away With It?
If you look at the stats, yes. He traded 47 years for about two years of total "sentence" time, much of it spent in a nice house making music on his laptop. He broke the "street code" in the loudest way possible and then went right back to trolling the internet.
But the Tekashi 6ix9ine plea deal came with strings that are still tripping him up today. Supervised release is no joke. The feds keep you on a very short leash.
Just recently, in late 2025 and early 2026, the ghosts of that deal came back to haunt him. He was sent back to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn for three months. Why? Violating the terms of that very same supervised release. He missed drug tests, traveled to Las Vegas without permission, and basically acted like the rules didn't apply. Even as of January 2026, he’s still dealing with the fallout of that original 2019 agreement.
Lessons from the 6ix9ine Saga
The whole situation is a masterclass in how federal law works when fame is involved. If you’re ever in a legal bind—obviously not on this scale—there are a few takeaways:
- Cooperation is the only way to beat a mandatory minimum. Federal judges have their hands tied by "mandatory minimums" unless the government files a specific motion (called a 5K1.1) stating the defendant helped them. Without that, the judge literally couldn't have given him two years even if he wanted to.
- The "Paperwork" follows you forever. A plea deal isn't just a "get out of jail" card. It’s a contract. If you violate a tiny part of it—like leaving the state for a concert without calling your PO—you go right back to the cell.
- Public perception isn't legal reality. While the internet called him a "rat" and predicted his downfall, the legal system saw him as a tool. The feds don't care about your "street cred"; they care about convictions.
If you want to understand the current state of the case, look at the probation reports. He's currently struggling to balance the life of a global superstar with the life of a federal supervised releasee. It’s a messy, loud, and complicated ending to one of the most famous legal deals in music history.
You should definitely keep an eye on his upcoming court dates in early 2026 regarding his most recent travel violations, as they will determine if he finally clears his debt to the SDNY or ends up back in the system for good.