Tekashi 6ix9ine may become a free man in the coming days thanks to the coronavirus.
According to Complex, who spoke to 6ix9ine’s attorney Lance Lazzaro directly, the imprisoned rapper's legal team's fight to get him out of jail amid the ongoing pandemic seems to be heading in a positive direction.
Given that prisoners from across the country are being released early due to the high risk of a catastrophic outcome if prisons' become overrun with inmates who contract the virus, "6ix9ine himself looks almost certain to get out early as well," the outlet reports. Not to mention, 6ixi9ine is a part of the at risk COVID-19 group because he has asthma, putting him at high risk of serious illness if he were to contract COVID-19.
To note: Kintea 'Kooda B' McKenzie, one of the defendants in 6ix9ine's case, "was recently granted release on bond until his sentencing in June, specifically because he was at 'high risk' (due to his asthma) of contracting COVID-19 in Manhattan’s Metropolitan Correctional Center federal jail, where he has been housed since June 17, 2019," the outlet reports. Adding, if the judge in 6ix9ine's case agrees to his legal team’s request for an early release, "which at this point seems all but certain," 6ix9ine will be placed on home confinement until his release date of August 2.
The government has until 5 p.m. on Wednesday (April 1) to make its case as to why 6ix9ine should stay locked up. Then the judge makes his decision.
As previously reported, the journey to this point has been a long one. Late last month, a judge denied 6ix9ine's initial request to serve out the remainder of his prison sentence at home to avoid contracting the coronavirus, but it wasn't all bad news. As TMZ reported, the judge in the 23-year-old's rappers case said the court lacks the legal authority to grant his early release request. However, he reportedly implied that Tekashi could file his request instead with the Bureau of Prisons (BOP).
That's when Lance took further action. “The remedy at that point was to apply to the Bureau of Prisons, which I knew would more than likely deny him,” he explained to Complex. “But they had up to 30 days to issue that denial. I kept pushing them to make a decision immediately because, in today’s environment, with the virus spreading in a way that nobody could have imagined, it was imperative to get a quick decision. So the Bureau of Prisons through the general counsel this morning denied my request for compassionate release. That now becomes an appealable decision in front of Judge Engelmayer.”
Then on Wednesday morning, Judge Engelmayer wrote a letter saying that the government has one last chance to argue that 6ix9ine should remain behind bars, and they have to make their case by 5 p.m that day, the outlet reports. So basically, unless the government comes with a good enough reason to keep 6ix9ine behind bars, Judge Engelmayer plans to let 6ix9ine serve out the rest of his sentence at home.
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