Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine has a long legal battle ahead after he was arrested in the Dominican Republic on Sunday, October, 15, for allegedly assaulting two music producers.
“Tekashi 6ix9ine can be detained [in the Dominican Republic] for months, maybe even years,” attorney Neama Rahmani, who is not involved with the case, exclusively told Us Weekly on Tuesday, October 17.
Rahmani noted that claims Tekashi 6ix9ine attempted to flee the country won’t help the musician’s case. (Dominican Republic-based criminal lawyer Felix Portes claimed via Instagram earlier this week that Tekashi 6ix9ine tried to leave the Dominican Republic via private jet prior to his arrest. Us reached out to Tekashi 6ix9ine’s team for comment.)
“Whenever you’re looking at whether someone should be detained, you look at two factors: risk of flight and danger to the community,” Rahmani explained. “And here you have someone who tried to flee when he had a warrant. … Flight is consciousness of guilt.”
The attorney added that Tekashi 6ix9ine’s “pretty significant criminal history” could also work against him when it comes to detainment. “I think he’s going to be there for quite some time until this gets resolved,” Rahmani said.
Tekashi 6ix9ine was previously sentenced to four years of probation in October 2018 after he pleaded guilty to one felony count of use of a child in sexual performance for participating in the recording and distribution of a video in which a 13-year-old girl performs sex acts.
Less than one year later, in February 2019, the “GOOBA” artist evaded serious prison time by pleading guilty to nine charges including conspiracy to commit murder and armed robbery and testifying against other members of the Nine Trey Gangster Bloods gang. He originally faced more than 40 years of prison when he was first charged in 2018.
Due to his cooperation during the trial, Tekashi 6ix9ine was sentenced to two years of prison in December 2019. He was granted early release in April 2020 following fears that his asthma would make him particularly vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As for whether Tekashi 6ix9ine could face jail time for his legal troubles in the Dominican Republic, Rahmani told Us that “it really depends” on several factors.
“At least here in the states, there’s two really types of assaults — there’s misdemeanor assault and there’s felony. It really depends on, ‘Was there a weapon involved? Was there serious bodily injury?’’ he explained.
Rahmani added that whatever happens with the case, it’s likely to play out in the Dominican Republic.
“It’s a Dominican case. The alleged assault happened there. The victims are there, the witnesses are there, the video’s there,” he said. “So, this should remain a Dominican case. It’s not something that’s going to be handled here in the states.”
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
