The trial of the Nine Trey Gangsters was a criminal case against eleven alleged members and associates of the street gang Nine Trey Gangsters. The case is notable for its inclusion of rapper 6ix9ine, real name Daniel Hernandez, and his associate Kifano "Shotti" Jordan as defendants.
The men were indicted on charges related to racketeering, weapon possession, and conspiracy to commit murder. Hernandez was quickly made a person of interest in these charges and was apprehended alongside five other men on November 18, 2018, following a five-year joint investigation by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the New York Police Department (NYPD), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Upon his arrest, Hernandez was initially denied bail and pleaded not guilty to all charges. He later changed his plea to guilty after agreeing to a deal with law enforcement on February 1, 2019. The guilty plea resulted in Hernandez admitting his guilt and testifying against his co-defendants, as well as full co-operation and an insistence to commit no further crimes, in exchange for reduced prison time. On December 18, 2019, Hernandez was sentenced to two years in prison, a $35,000 fine, five years of supervised release, and 1,000 hours of community service. Hernandez ended up avoiding a potential minimum sentence of 47 years. Hernandez was originally set to be released on November 18, 2020, although his attorney Lance Lazzaro claimed "6ix9ine will be released ahead of schedule." His new release date was set for August 2, 2020, although reports surfaced saying he may be released as early as July 31, 2020. However, on April 1, 2020, federal judge Paul Engelmayer ordered Hernandez to serve the remainder of his sentence in home confinement starting the next day due to him suffering from asthma which makes him particularly vulnerable to COVID-19.
Background
In October 2018, Hernandez was sentenced to two years' probation and 1,000 hours of community service after pleading guilty to federal racketeering and firearms charges. To celebrate receiving probation instead of a jail sentence, Hernandez went to go have dinner with a music executive in New York City. His entourage was not allowed in by security, and this led to a fight that ended with one person being shot. Two members of Hernandez's entourage were charged with gang assault. Hernandez's manager Jordan later turned himself in on November 7, 2018, in relation to the fight and was also charged with gang assault.
On November 15, 2018, three days prior to the arrests and a week prior to the scheduled release of his debut album Dummy Boy, Hernandez unexpectedly announced on Instagram that he had fired his entire team, including his management. He also cancelled his upcoming tour and said, "Whoever is booking shows for Tekashi 6ix9ine, is stealing your fucking money."
Arrest and guilty plea
November 2018–January 2019: 'Not guilty' plea
On the night of November 18, 2018, six men were arrested by ATF agents in New York City: Hernandez, Jordan, Jamel "Mel Murda" Jones, Fuguan "Fu Banga" Lovick, Jesnel "Ish" Butler, and Faheem "Crippy" Walter. The next night while being detained at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center, Hernandez was confronted by inmates affiliated with the rival Crips gang. Prison staff intervened and quickly transferred Hernandez to a different facility to eliminate any future gang threats. On November 22, 2018, a seventh man, Roland "Ro Murda" Martin, was arrested and charged with crimes related to the case. Hernandez's arrest caused his highly anticipated debut album Dummy Boy to be delayed indefinitely a day before its scheduled release. After an online leak, Dummy Boy was released on November 27, 2018, and managed to reach number 2 on the Billboard 200 within only three days of charting.
On November 26, 2018, Hernandez pleaded not guilty and was denied bail, with a court date set for September 4, 2019. Hernandez's lawyer continued to plea that his client was "...completely innocent of all charges being brought against him... An entertainer who portrays a 'gangster image' to promote his music does not make him a member of an enterprise." An eighth defendant, Aaron "Bat" Young, was charged on December 19, 2018.