Tekashi 6ix9ine has claimed he left prison with a SpongeBob doll signed by Nicolás Maduro.
READ MORE: ‘69: The Saga Of Daniel Hernandez’ review: the rise and fall of Tekashi 6ix9ine
The rapper – whose real name is Daniel Hernandez – just completed his three-month jail sentence for probation violations following his plea deal in a federal racketeering and firearms case.
On Friday (April 3), he was released from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn – the federal detention centre that also recently held inmates like Luigi Mangione, Diddy, R Kelly and Ghislaine Maxwell.
Another notable inmate was the former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who, ahead of surrendering, 6ix9ine told TMZ he intended to play cards and dance with while locked up.
It seems they did cross paths, as 6ix9ine was carrying a SpongeBob doll allegedly signed by the politician while exiting jail.
“MADURO SINGNED MY JAIL HOUSE SPONGE9INE,” he wrote in the caption of an Instagram video that showed him being greeted outside by celebrity jeweller, Vobara, who gifted the rapper a $2.2million (£1.7million) 400-carat diamond chain.
The rapper surrendered for the three-month jail sentence back in January during a livestream.
The sentence marked the second time Hernandez has been ordered back behind bars, following two incidents he was involved in last year while still under supervised release following his involvement in a New York gang case. He was also sentenced to one-and-a-half months in prison back in November.
A judge granted Hernandez’s early release in 2020 after a 2018 plea deal he struck over his involvement with the Nine Trey Bloods gang. He was sentenced to 24 months and charged with conspiracy, attempted murder, conspiracy to distribute heroin, and four firearms-related charges.
In his first post-prison interview, he was asked by The New York Times if he regretted getting involved with the Nine Trey gang, to which he replied: “No. I knew what I was doing with Nine Trey. I knew what I was getting into.”
Since then, Hernandez has made efforts to revitalise his career with new albums – 2020’s ‘6ix9ine – Tattle Tales’, 2023’s ‘Leyenda Viva’, and this year’s ‘Blackballed’.
However, controversy has not lost him. Hernandez was arrested in the Dominican Republic on domestic violence charges in January last year. He was arrested while trying to leave the country on a private plane after the alleged assault, according to a criminal lawyer.
Later that month, he was granted a conditional release from custody – he was ordered to pay a $510 deposit, undergo government counselling and meet with authorities every two months, per Associated Press.
It was also revealed in September that Hernandez is being sued by his ex-girlfriend on allegations that he posted revenge porn of her online and physically and emotionally abused her during the course of their relationship.
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