Prior to his charges and crimes in his adult life, Hernandez served jail time as a minor for assault and the sale of heroin.
2015: Child sexual performance Hernandez was involved in a child sexual performance charge from 2015. In October 2015, Hernandez pled guilty to a felony count of use of a child in a sexual performance. He was charged with three counts of the offense after a February 2015 incident in which he had physical contact with a 13-year-old girl and later distributed videos of the incident online as part of a music video. Three videos are described in the criminal complaint against Hernandez. In the first, "the child engages in oral sexual intercourse with the separately charged defendant Taquan Anderson, while the defendant, Daniel Hernandez, stands behind the child making a thrusting motion with his pelvis and smacking her on her buttocks. The child is nude in the video". The other videos show the child sitting on Hernandez's lap while Anderson gropes her breasts and later sitting naked across the laps of Anderson and Hernandez. In a November 2017 interview, Hernandez claimed to have had "no sexual contact" with the girl and denied knowing she was a minor. Hernandez also claimed to have been 17 at the time of the incident, though the birth date listed in the complaint against him and in his statement to the police shows he was 18. At his sentencing,
assistant DA Sara Weiss told the court that Hernandez fondled the child's breasts and smacked her buttocks while she was
raped by
two other men. The court date was later postponed, reportedly because the court did not have a copy of Hernandez's GED. Due to his continuing legal problems in light of his plea bargain, the Manhattan district attorney's office announced Hernandez could face up to three years in prison and possible
sex offender registration for his 2015 case, but he was instead sentenced to four years of probation starting in October 2018, with one clause being that he must not promote gang activity, as well as perform 1,000 hours of community service.
2017–2018: Violent and gang-related incidents LAX brawl Per
TMZ, Hernandez and his crew were involved in a "massive brawl" at
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on February 21, 2018.
Robbery of rival In April 2018, Hernandez, Shotti, and other Nine Trey Gangsters members would rob a rival rapper whom they erroneously believed was affiliated with
Rap-A-Lot Records. Hernandez filmed this act, and was later sued for his involvement in the robbery in December 2020.
Complex reported that this incident would play a central role in the racketeering case against the Nine Trey Gangsters, with the incident being "Counts 3, 4, and 5 of the indictment against Shotti, Ish, Crippy, and 6ix9ine". Hernandez would testify that, after committing the robbery and while attempting to flee in their getaway car, Hernandez and his crew heard police sirens, and Shotti forced Hernandez out of the car with the gun used to commit the crime.
Assaults In May 2018, during an
arrest for driving on a suspended license, Hernandez was accused of "squeezing" a
police officer's hand, and was charged with obstructing governmental administration and assault. He received a one year probation for disorderly conduct.
Victim of robbery, assault and kidnapping against In the early morning hours of July 22, 2018, Hernandez was
kidnapped, beaten and robbed by three armed assailants in
Brooklyn. He had finished shooting the music video for "
FEFE" (featuring
Nicki Minaj and
Murda Beatz) when the assailants grabbed him outside his home and
pistol-whipped him. The robbers eventually took over $750,000 in custom jewelry and approximately $35,000 in cash. Hernandez escaped from their vehicle and summoned police help via a stranger. He was taken to the hospital. In February 2019,
Nine Trey Gangsters member Anthony "Harv" Ellison was indicted for the July kidnapping and assault. On October 3, Ellison was found guilty.
Shootings In 2018, Hernandez was involved in at least five shooting incidents. On April 21, 2018, Hernandez was involved in a shooting at the
Barclays Center with the entourage of fellow New York rapper
Casanova, as part of a feud. This led to Hernandez losing a $5 million headphone deal and being banned from the
Barclays Center. and plead guilty to the crime on May 9, 2019. U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman stated, "Today, Fuguan Lovick admitted to a brazen and dangerous act of violence. While inside the Barclays Center with Tekashi 6ix9ine and other Nine Trey gang members, Lovick fired a gun to intimidate rival gang members. We continue our daily work with our law enforcement partners to keep our communities safe and to vigorously investigate acts of violence committed by gang members." On June 2, 2018,
Chief Keef was fired upon outside the W Hotel in New York City but not hit; no injuries resulted from the incident. Due to the ongoing feud, Hernandez was confirmed to be under investigation by the
New York Police Department for possible involvement with the incident. In February 2019, Hernandez pled guilty to ordering the shooting of Chief Keef. Hernandez offered his associate Kintea "Kooda B" McKenzie $20,000 to shoot at Chief Keef. On August 5, 2018, a shooting occurred on the set of a music video Hernandez was filming with rapper
50 Cent. On October 27, 2018, two members of Hernandez's entourage were involved in a shooting in
Manhattan and were subsequently charged with gang assault.
The New York Times would later report that the incident was catalyzed by tension and disagreement between Hernandez's "legitimate" industry boss
Elliot Grainge, who had signed Hernandez to his label
10K Projects before Hernandez was well known, and his "street" manager Kifano "Shotti" Jordan, who became involved with Hernandez following his first hit single. When Hernandez met Elliot Grainge at the restaurant Philippe to celebrate a legal victory in his 2015 sex crimes case, Shotti and other Nine Trey members entered the meeting uninvited. This resulted in a scuffle and shooting between Nine Trey Gangsters and Grainge's private security. On November 9, 2018, Hernandez was filming a music video with rapper
Kanye West in
Beverly Hills, California, when shots were fired at the house they were shooting the music video in. No one was injured and no arrests were made. West would state on
Twitter "Thank you for everyone's prayers. Our family is safe and close."
2018–2019: Trial of the Nine Trey Gangsters, domestic violence On November 16, 2018, Hernandez made his second appearance on
The Breakfast Club radio show, in which he notably stated: "There's only one thing I fear in life. No, two things. I
fear God and I fear the
FBI". On November 18, 2018, Hernandez, his former faux-manager
Kifano "Shotti" Jordan and three other associates were arrested. Hernandez was charged with federal
RICO and firearms charges, including conspiracy to murder and armed robbery. He was allegedly part of "a violent sect of the
Bloods" known as the Nine Trey Gangsters. Hernandez's attorney, Lance Lazzaro, advocated for bail for his client on the condition that Hernandez surrender his passport, pay a little under $2 million for bail and be placed under house arrest, but the judge denied bail, keeping Hernandez in custody, surmising that he may still be a danger to the community even if those bail conditions were met. Hernandez's legal team planned to appeal that decision. He was held at the
Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn under
general population before being moved to another facility due to security reasons, as Hernandez had multiple altercations with fellow prisoners, including those belonging to the
Crips street gang. Hernandez was due to be sentenced on January 24, 2020, and faced a possible mandatory sentence of 47 years in prison. On February 1, 2019, Hernandez pled guilty to nine charges, and
turned state's evidence, agreeing to testify against his co-defendants.
The New York Times noted that Hernandez was "cordial and relaxed" in court as he discussed the gang's inner workings and crimes, dropping his public persona. provoked discussion, amusement, and
condemnations from hip-hop personalities and fans, and inspired
internet memes. By December 2019, Hernandez was praised by prosecutors for his work in the court room
informing on his former associates, who asked the judge for leniency in Hernandez's sentencing. Prosecutors stated that Hernandez was able to provide "an insider's view of Nine Trey and a firsthand account of many acts of violence" that the government was heretofore not privy to. On December 18, 2019, Hernandez's father showed up to his court hearing after not seeing him since he was 9 years old, causing the rapper to break down in tears. His father told reporters he wants to repair his relationship with his son. On March 22, 2020, while serving his time in prison, Hernandez requested to serve the remainder of his prison sentence at home stating he was at a higher risk of contracting the
COVID-19 virus due to his pre-existing asthma condition. On April 1, 2020
Rolling Stone obtained a letter to the judge from United States Attorney Geoffrey Berman saying that the government does not object to the release of Hernandez early on home confinement. On Thursday, April 2, Hernandez's lawyer, Dawn Florio, confirmed with
XXL magazine that the court decided to allow the rapper to be released from prison and into home confinement. He was originally set to be released on August 2, 2020. His home confinement ended on August 1, 2020. However, he was still required to remain on supervised release. Accusations of domestic violence were detailed in early 2019 in a
Daily Beast article that featured testimony from the rapper's ex-girlfriend and mother of his daughter, Sara Molina, that
he beat her in several incidents. As stated to the
Daily Beast, Molina alleged Hernandez had
sexually assaulted her. Hernandez admitted and discussed physically abusing his ex-girlfriend in interviews with
The New York Times and
The Shade Room in 2020.
2021–2024: Lawsuits, LA Fitness attack, arrests in Dominican Republic and New York Lawsuits Hernandez was sued in 2021 by a Miami dancer who alleged that Hernandez threw a bottle at her head, "causing serious and permanent
bodily injury". Upon appeal in 2023, a Florida judge vacated the judgment and ordered that a receiver be discharged from moving forward with seizing any assets. Hernandez was also at the center of a legal battle between two
vape companies that had conflicted business dealings with Hernandez. In August 2023, the artist sought a
default judgment after Hernandez's attorney withdrew from the case. In September 2024, Hernandez's ex-girlfriend, Dominican rapper
Yailin La Más Viral, sued Hernandez, alleging "a history of physical, emotional, sexual, and financial abuse." In response, Hernandez posted on Instagram, "it is better to go against
the devil than to go against me." Videos of the attack were shared on social media. Hernandez sustained facial cuts and had to be hospitalized. Three men were eventually arrested and charged for the assault, including a father and son. In January 2025, Tekashi filed a negligence claim in Palm Beach County, Florida, suing LA Fitness for more than $1million, alleging the gym failed to provide adequate security during the March 2023 attack. In August 2023 it was reported that Hernandez was arrested after failing to appear in court for several traffic citations in Florida including driving at in a zone in an unregistered vehicle without insurance.
Dominican Republic assault arrest On October 15, 2023, Hernandez was arrested in
Sánchez, Dominican Republic on suspicion of assaulting two music producers.
Domestic violence against 6ix9ine In December 2023, Hernandez's girlfriend,
Yailin La Más Viral (real name Georgina Lulú Guillermo Díaz), was arrested in Palm Beach, Florida on charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and obstructing justice in relation to an assault on Hernandez outside of his home. Videos emerged of Guillermo damaging the rapper's automobile and striking him with a piece of wood. She was booked into jail and subsequently released on a $9,000 bond following a court hearing. On January 25, 2024, he was released on the condition that he undergo government counseling and meet with authorities every two months until they conclude their investigation and ordered to pay a $510 deposit.
New York arrest On October 29, 2024, Hernandez was arrested in New York on a warrant which was issued by the U.S. District Court for the
Southern District of New York after being charged with violating the terms of his supervised release, which was 6 months away from expiring. Hernandez had been on supervised release from his previous prison sentence since April 2020. He was held at the Metropolitan Detention Center until November 12. On January 6, 2026, Hernandez surrendered to federal authorities to begin his three-month sentence at the Metropolitan Detention Center before being released on April 3, leaving the facility with a
SpongeBob doll that he claims was signed by Venezuelan president
Nicolás Maduro, who was being held on pretrial detention following his
seizure by U.S. forces earlier in the year. == Feuds ==