UPDATE: Tekashi 6ix9ine could spend life in prison due to criminal charges that were filed against him in federal court on Monday. According to an eyewitness, the rapper appeared in court with his hands and feet shackled.
Tekashi was indicted on six counts: conspiracy with others to commit racketeering, discharging a firearm while committing a crime, committing a crime of violence in aid of racketeering, assault with a dangerous weapon, carrying a firearm, and committing a crime in aid of racketeering. Two of the charges against Tekashi have a maximum sentence of life in prison. He faces a minimum of 32 years in prison.
According to court documents obtained by E! News, Tekashi, Shottie, Crippy, Ish and others were part of the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods gang (also known as "Enterprise" and "Nine Trey"), which "committed and agreed, attempted, and threatened to commit acts of violence to protect and expand their narcotics business."
Prosecutors wrote in the indictment that Nine Trey has been dealing drugs including fentanyl, MDMA, marijuana, heroin and more in Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx. The document elaborated on the "acts of violence" Tekashi and his alleged accomplices committed. It reads, "These acts of violence include acts involving murder, acts involving robbery and extortion, and assault."
According to the papers filed in court, Tekashi and some members of his gang "threatened to commit acts of violence...to protect and expand the Enterprise's criminal operations, and against rival gang members." The eyewitness said that during the hearing, the judge cited evidence "from an gunpoint robbery in April and the discovery of an AR-15 from the September raid of his home."
The Southern District of New York sent out a press release, where Homeland Security Special Agent in Charge Angel M. Melendez said the gang "showed an unprecedented level of violence this year."
Prosecutors said he was a flight risk, but his lawyers offered to give up his passport, put him on house arrest and pay $750,000 to the court. Ultimately, Tekashi was denied bail pending the trial because of the possibility of conducting crime while at home.
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Tekashi 6ix9ine has been arrested on racketeering and firearms charges.
E! News has confirmed that the 22-year-old rapper, née Daniel Hernandez, along with his recently fired manager, Kifano Jordan ("Shottie"), as well as Jensel Butler ("Ish"), and Faheem Walter ("Crippy") are in federal custody and have all been arrested on racketeering and firearms charges. A law enforcement source tells E! News that the arrests are the product of a joint investigation between PD, HSI, and ATF.
The NYPD also confirms to E! News, "He (Tekashi 6ix9ine) was arrested on Nov. 18 at 2000 hours. He will be arraigned today in the Southern District of New York."
It was just revealed last week that Tekashi had fired his team and that he currently has no management.
This arrest comes just one month after Tekashi appeared in a New York City courthouse, where he was sentenced to four years probation in a child sex case.
E! News confirmed in October that a judge ordered the rapper to serve four years probation and 1,000 hours of community service for violating the terms of a plea agreement stemming from his 2015 arrest for the use of a child in a sexual performance.
Tekashi is not required to register as a sex offender, but was told that he must refrain from gang affiliation and the posting or reposting of online sexually explicit or violent images of women or children. He previously pled guilty after online videos surfaced of him sexually engaging with an underage girl in Oct. 2015. At the time of the incident, Tekashi 6ix9ine was 18 while the victim was 13.
Earlier this month, shots were fired on the set of Tekashi and Kanye West's upcoming music video in Beverly Hills.
Beverly Hills police confirmed to E! News that they responded to a call of shots fired around 10:25 p.m. on Nov. 8 in a Beverly Hills neighborhood. According to police, there were no injuries and the investigation is ongoing, but they could not confirm the names of anyone involved in the incident.
Tekashi's debut studio album, Dummy Boy, is set to drop on Nov. 23.
(This story was originally published on Nov. 19 at 9:14 a.m.)
—Reporting by Taylor Bryant