Two men have been convicted on racketeering conspiracy charges after the rapper Tekashi 69 agreed to cooperate with authorities and testify against them in a federal gang case.
Anthony Ellison and Aljermiah Mack, two alleged members of the gang known as the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods, face up to life in prison.
In November 2018, Tekashi 69, born Daniel Hernandez, was indicted for federal racketeering and firearms charges and faced up to life in prison for his alleged involvement in the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods, a gang that has been associated with murder, robbery, and narcotics trafficking.
US Attorney Geoffrey Berman at the time said members of Nine Trey “wreaked havoc on New York City, engaging in brazen acts of violence...showing reckless indifference to others’ safety.”
Tekashi, 23, originally faced a minimum of 47 years in prison, but under a plea deal, he agreed to cooperate with authorities in the case with the hope of a reduced sentence. As a result, he may also be entered into a witness protection program.
In September, Tekashi took the stand for three days about his time associating with the Nine Trey gang and told jurors that Ellison, his former bodyguard, had kidnapped and robbed him.
Tekashi also named rappers Cardi B and Jim Jones as members of the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods.
A representative for Cardi B told BuzzFeed News, “This news is not true." But in a 2018 interview with GQ, she said, "I used to pop off with my homies. And they'd say, 'Yo, you really get it poppin'. You should come home. You should turn Blood.' And I did. Yes, I did. And something that — it's not like, oh, you leave. You don't leave.”
Tekashi’s sentencing is scheduled for January.