Sophia Michaels
Tekashi 69 is locked up behind bars serving a 24-month sentence, most of which he’s already served, and is looking ahead to his plans once he’s released. The rapper’s sentence is part of a plea deal for testifying against his former Nine Trey Blood cohorts Harv and Nuke Mack in court. Because the Nine Trey Blood gang has reach, Tekashi’s testimony puts him in danger upon his release. In fact, during his court appearances, his family wouldn’t go anywhere near the courthouse despite hiring increased security.
Tekashi’s family members aren’t the only ones anxious about their safety because of their involvement with the rapper: His former bodyguards have reportedly turned down working with him after his release because of the danger he imposes.
According to a report from TMZ, the rapper’s former bodyguards “are also pissed over the ‘street politics’ they were forced to deal with as a result of the problems Tekashi got into which stemmed from him being a ‘fake gangster.’” The report states his hired guards felt they were unnecessarily put in harm’s way before he was even arrested, so working with him after his release is out of the question.
One solution to not being able to find hired help for protection is being admitted into the witness protection program. But that’s not in the cards for Tekashi, who previously turned down the opportunity to go into the program. If he did, though, he would have to pay for his tattoo removals himself.
Though he’s turned down witness protection, Tekashi understands that his safety is at risk — so much so that he’s asked to serve the remainder of his sentence elsewhere. His lawyer, Lance Lazzaro, said the rapper has encountered Nine trey Blood members in prison. “As a result of Hernandez’s cooperation with the government against multiple gang members with the Bloods, Hernandez’s safety is still, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future, seriously at risk. Given the significant and ongoing threat to Hernandez’s safety as a result of his past and potential future cooperation, the government has filed papers which force Hernandez to remain incarcerated at a private jail in an effort to secure his safety. However, even at the private jail, Hernandez is still housed with various members of the Bloods.”
Written by: Uproxx
