Tekashi 6ix9ine
(Photo by MICHAEL CAMPANELLA/Redferns)
(Photo by MICHAEL CAMPANELLA/Redferns)
The rapper's attorney aimed to have the rapper released under home confinement.
Tekashi 6ix9ine’s attorney previously asked for the defamed rapper to be released early from his prison sentence due to the spread of coronavirus. According to Inner City Press, the lawyer Lance Lazzaro wrote a letter to a judge on Sunday night, the same day Harvey Weinstein was being isolated after contracting the virus.
Lazzaro cited 6ix9ine’s pre-existing conditions as the reasoning behind why he should be released. These conditions could put the rapper at a dangerous risk of contracting the virus. The letter requests for 6ix9ine to not serve until August as we previously reported.
Tekashi reportedly suffers from asthma which was included in the letter. Lazzaro also cited that he previously was diagnosed with a sinus infection and bronchitis last October and was hospitalized for treatment.
If this isn’t enough, the rapper also has recently been complaining to prison officials this week about experiencing shortness of breath. His complaints have fallen on deaf ears as the warden of his facility will not allow him to go to the hospital, even with the recommendation of the facility’s medical doctor.
6ix9ine’s current release date is August 2, his attorney is alleging that his life is at risk if he is not released prior to that. This isn’t the first time Tekashi has requested to alter his sentence. In the past, he’s asked to serve his sentence at his home, which was denied.
The ongoing, swift spread of coronavirus has prompted U.S. prisons and jails to release inmates. In fact, in New York City a few days ago, numerous cases of the virus were reported at Rikers Island.
On Wednesday, March 25, court documents that surfaced to the public noted that a judge denied Tekashi 6ix9ine's attempt to be released early. According to Complex, an order from Judge Paul A. Engelmeyer read:
"Had the Court known that sentencing Mr. Hernandez to serve the final four months of his term in a federal prison would have exposed him to a heightened health risk, the Court would have directed that these four months be served instead in home confinement. The Court accordingly denies Mr. Hernandez’s motion for relief."
In the court documents, the judge also expressed that the decision is ultimately left to the Bureau of Prisons. He also added it "may be instructive guidance to the Bureau of Prisons in considering an application by Mr. Hernandez for release on home confinement."
The order also reads, "At the time of sentencing, however, the Court did not know and could not have known that the final four months of Mr. Hernandez’s sentence would be served at a time of a worldwide pandemic to which persons with asthma, like Mr. Hernandez, have heightened vulnerability."
Additionally, the government denied the lawyer's request and reportedly argued that "the court doesn't have the authority to make such a decision," reports Complex.
This article was originally posted on March 23, 2020, and was updated on March 25.
Source: Inner City Press
