As of April 3, 2026, Daniel Hernandez — the rapper known as 6ix9ine — is out of federal custody and living under supervised release after finishing a three-month sentence at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. He has roughly one year of federal supervision left to serve.1Yahoo Entertainment. 6ix9ine Turns Himself in to Begin Three-Month Sentence2NBC Miami. Tekashi 6ix9ine Leaves New York Jail Carrying Plush Toy Signed by Maduro
He surrendered to MDC Brooklyn on January 6, 2026, and served the full 90 days. He walked out carrying personal belongings, including a SpongeBob SquarePants plush toy he said had been signed by Nicolás Maduro, who has been held at the same facility since being taken from Venezuela by the U.S. military on January 3, 2026. There was no official confirmation the two had interacted inside.2NBC Miami. Tekashi 6ix9ine Leaves New York Jail Carrying Plush Toy Signed by Maduro3Hola! US. Tekashi 6ix9ine Nicolas Maduro Best Friends Prison
What the Three-Month Sentence Was For
On December 5, 2025, U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer sentenced Hernandez to three months in federal prison for two sets of supervised release violations rolled together: drug possession and a mall assault.4NBC New York. Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine Prison Violating Probation
The drug charge grew out of a March 2025 raid of his Miami home by federal probation officers, who found three MDMA pills and a small bag with cocaine residue in his bedroom. Prosecutors said the search also turned up a gun and fentanyl elsewhere on the property.5Courthouse News. Prison Possible as Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine Pleads Guilty to Probation Violations6New York Post. Tekashi 6ix9ine Admits He Stashed MDMA, Cocaine in Florida Mansion On July 23, 2025, he pleaded guilty to possessing the MDMA and cocaine; prosecutors agreed to drop the gun and fentanyl counts.
The assault happened on August 8, 2025, when Hernandez and an associate attacked a man at a Palm Beach County mall. His defense attorney said the confrontation began after the man, who was armed, called Hernandez a “rat” and threatened to kill him and his family; the two knocked the man down and punched and kicked him before fleeing when they saw the gun.7XXL. 6ix9ine Attacks Man Mall House Arrest On September 25, 2025, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor battery specification and was placed on home detention with electronic monitoring pending sentencing.8NBC News. Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine Ordered Held Home Detention Mall Altercation
A Pattern of Supervised Release Violations
The 2025 cases were not his first slip-ups on supervision. In January 2024, Hernandez was arrested in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on domestic violence allegations involving his then-girlfriend, the singer Yailin la Más Viral. A Dominican judge later ordered his conditional release.9ABC News. Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine Arrested Violating Supervised Release10AP News. Dominican Judge Orders Conditional Release of US Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine
Later in 2024, he pleaded guilty to five separate supervised release violations: traveling without permission to Las Vegas and Sarasota, Florida; twice failing to comply with drug testing; and testing positive for methamphetamines. He got 45 days in prison and an extra year tacked onto his supervision.11ABC7 New York. Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine Sentenced 3 Months Federal Prison Violations Supervised Release12Variety. 6ix9ine Sentenced Three Months Prison Violating Release
At the July 2025 plea hearing on the drug possession charge, Judge Engelmayer noted that although probation had recommended three to nine months, he could legally impose up to five years of prison and potentially a lifetime of supervised release going forward.5Courthouse News. Prison Possible as Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine Pleads Guilty to Probation Violations
Why He Is On Federal Supervision in the First Place
Hernandez’s current legal leash dates back to the federal racketeering case that made him a household name outside hip-hop. On November 19, 2018, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York unsealed an indictment charging him and five associates as members of the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods. The counts included racketeering conspiracy and firearms offenses tied to a gunpoint robbery near Times Square in April 2018, a shooting at the Barclays Center that same month, and a July 2018 Brooklyn shooting that injured a bystander.13U.S. Department of Justice. Recording Artist and Performer Tekashi 6ix 9ine and Five Other Members and Associates Charged
Facing decades in prison, Hernandez pleaded guilty and became the government’s star cooperator against his former associates. His testimony in the fall of 2019 helped convict senior Nine Trey members, including Anthony “Harv” Ellison, who received 24 years, and Aljermiah “Nuke” Mack, who received 17 years.14The New York Times. Tekashi69 Crime Trial15U.S. Department of Justice. High-Ranking Member of Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods Sentenced to 24 Years in Prison16U.S. Department of Justice. Leader of Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison
On December 18, 2019, Judge Engelmayer sentenced Hernandez to two years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. The judge called the cooperation “impressive, game-changing, complete and brave.”17The Wall Street Journal. Tekashi 6ix9ine Gets Lenient Sentence After Assisting Prosecutors18U.S. News & World Report. Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine Gets 3 Months in Prison for Violating Probation in Gang Case He didn’t finish that two-year term in custody. On April 2, 2020, Engelmayer granted compassionate release to home confinement, citing Hernandez’s severe asthma and the risks of COVID-19 inside a Queens private facility where he was being held. Federal prosecutors did not oppose the motion. He served the remaining four months under GPS monitoring.19ABC News. Rapper Tekashi69 Released From Prison Early Amid Coronavirus Concerns20Rolling Stone. Tekashi 6ix9ine Early Release
Supervised release followed. The repeated violations since 2024 have both extended the clock and sent him back behind bars.
Civil Cases Still in the Background
Hernandez has also been on the receiving end of several civil suits that run alongside the criminal docket.
Seketha Wonzer and Kevin Dozier, victims of the April 2018 gunpoint robbery carried out by Nine Trey members while Hernandez sat in a nearby vehicle, sued him under the federal civil RICO statute, along with assault, battery, false imprisonment, and intentional infliction of emotional distress claims.21Pitchfork. Tekashi 6ix9ine Sued by Victims of 2018 Gunpoint Robbery In August 2022, a U.S. Magistrate Judge recommended awarding Wonzer $30,000 and Dozier $67,500, including treble damages under RICO.22Vibe. 6ix9ine Pay Victims Robbery
In September 2024, his ex-girlfriend Jorgina Guillermo Díaz, known as Yailin la Más Viral, sued Hernandez alleging a pattern of physical, emotional, and sexual violence, together with financial abuse. She claims he diverted hundreds of thousands of dollars from her earnings.23Fox 5 New York. Rapper Yailin La Más Viral Sues Ex-Boyfriend Tekashi 6ix9ine Abuse Fraud
A livestreaming company, Streamusic, sued him in Los Angeles for allegedly failing to perform two concerts on its platform and failing to deliver promotional content after being paid $150,000. The company is seeking $2 million in damages.24Billboard. Tekashi 6ix9ine Lawsuit Concert Deal Contract
For now, Hernandez is a free man under federal supervision, with another violation potentially triggering a far longer sentence than the three months he just finished.