Government Approves 6ix9ine's Prison Release, Leaves It Up to Judge

The last obstacle preventing 6ix9ine from being released from prison and moved into home custody has been cleared, but there's still a catch.

According to court documents XXL obtained on Wednesday (April 1), the government has responded to Judge Paul Engelmayer's letter about not being opposed to letting Tekashi out of prison amid the coronavirus. In their letter, they say they also don't oppose 6ix9ine being released from prison and into home custody if "the Court finds 'extraordinary and compelling reasons' presented by the defendant’s medical condition, placing him at high risk
during the COVID-19 outbreak.'"

Dawn Florio, who works as one of Tekashi's lawyers on the case, tells XXL that if 6ix9ine has asthma and was hospitalized for Bronchitis a few months ago. In a letter from March 25, Judge Engelmayer wrote that if the government had known about 6ix9ine's medical condition and him facing a higher risk for contracting the coronavirus, he wouldn't have been sent to spend the remaining four months of his prison sentence behind bars.

Now, all that's left is for Engelmayer, who's already said he supported 6ix9ine being granted a compassionate release twice, to make his decision and issue the order for the rapper to be released from prison.

Florio says if Engelmayer orders that 6ix9ine is released into home confinement, Tekashi could out of prison that same day. The requisite administrative paperwork would just have to be delivered.

"We are just waiting for the judge to make his final decision since there is no government opposition we are hopeful that the judge is going to release [6ix9ine] to home confinement," she says.

In December, 6ix9ine was sentenced to 24 months in prison and five years of supervised release for federal racketeering and firearms charges. Because he had already been behind bars since he was arrested on the charges in November 2018, 6ix9ine was granted time served for his sentence. As a result, the Bureau of Prisons had listed his expected release date as being Aug. 2.