After being denied bail Monday, Tekashi 6ix9ine was reportedly awaiting a bail hearing after being arrested over the weekend in connection with a slew of federal racketeering and weapons charges.
The "Fefe" rapper, notable for his rapid rise this year, was arrested in New York on Sunday along with four others who were taken into custody Sunday and Monday. A sixth man was already in custody.
"As alleged in the indictment, this gang, which included platinum-selling rap artist Tekashi 6ix 9ine, wreaked havoc on New York City, engaging in brazen acts of violence," U.S. Atty. Geoffrey S. Berman said in a statement Monday.
"Showing reckless indifference to others' safety, members of the gang were allegedly involved in robberies and shootings, including a shooting inside the crowded Barclay's Center, and a shooting in which an innocent bystander was hit," Berman added.
TMZ said Tuesday that 6ix9ine, whose legal name is Daniel Hernandez, was being shown no special treatment _ read, no segregation _ in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center.
"The defendant is quite violent," said Assistant U.S. Atty. Michael Longyear, according to the New York Daily News, at a Monday arraignment hearing where the rapper was denied bail on the grounds that he was a flight risk and a danger to the community. "He's facing a significant term of incarceration."
He's looking at a minimum of 32 years in prison if convicted, up to a life sentence.
The indictment listed several incidents in the past seven months allegedly involving Hernandez in some way, including a robbery at gunpoint, which he allegedly filmed from a vehicle nearby, and an unsuccessful conspiracy to kill an individual in which a bystander was shot in the foot.
The 22-year-old has publicly identified himself as a member of the 9 Trey Bloods gang.
Attorney Lance Lazzaro, who represents Hernandez, told the Associated Press that his client denies directing or playing any other role in violence.
The rapper was offered protection by the feds on Saturday after some of his co-defendants were heard on wiretaps threatening his life, Lazzaro told the AP, but he refused the offer. He was arrested the next day.
Hernandez is charged along with ex-manager Kifano "Shotti" Jordan, Jensel "Ish" Butler, Faheem "Crippy" Walter, Fuguan "Fu Banga" Lovick and Jamel "Mel Murda" Jones.
The investigation was a joint effort by the New York Police Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
