Tekashi 6ix9ine has been released from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, exiting the federal facility a day earlier than some projections had indicated.
The rapper, born Daniel Hernandez, walked out early Friday morning (April 3) after serving approximately three months for multiple violations of his supervised release, stemming from his 2018 federal racketeering case. His lawyer and the Bureau of Prisons confirmed the release timing, which came ahead of an anticipated April 4 date due to standard adjustments for time served and Bureau of Prisons practices.
Video footage posted to his Instagram shortly after showed Hernandez in high spirits as he left the facility. He was seen dapping up associates, carrying a thick stack of release paperwork, and flashing expensive jewelry, including a massive custom chain. The most attention-grabbing moment involved a SpongeBob SquarePants plush toy — which he nicknamed “Sponge9ine” — that he claimed had been signed by former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Maduro, who has been detained at the same MDC since his capture by U.S. forces in January on narcoterrorism and drug trafficking charges (to which he has pleaded not guilty), reportedly autographed the toy while both were incarcerated there. In the video, Hernandez excitedly displayed the plush, pointing out the signature and declaring to the camera, “Look, Maduro signed it!” The unusual crossover quickly sparked a wave of memes and online reactions, though the authenticity of the autograph has not been independently verified by officials.
6ix9ine turned himself in to the MDC on January 6 to begin the 90-day sentence, which was handed down by U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer on December 5, 2025. The judge, who has overseen much of the rapper’s post-2019 supervision, expressed frustration with Hernandez’s repeated noncompliance, noting a pattern suggesting he believed “ordinary rules don’t apply” to him. Prosecutors had sought between three and nine months; the 90-day term fell in the middle of that range.
The violations included a March 2025 police raid on his South Florida home that uncovered small amounts of cocaine and MDMA, an alleged assault on a man at a Florida mall in August 2025 who had taunted him about his past cooperation with authorities, unauthorized travel, failed drug tests and other breaches of his supervised release conditions. Hernandez pleaded guilty to the violations.
This marks another chapter in 6ix9ine’s long history of legal issues. He first rose to fame in the late 2010s with his rainbow-haired persona, aggressive style and hits such as “GUMMO.” In 2018, he was arrested as part of a major federal racketeering case tied to the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods. After cooperating with prosecutors and testifying against former associates, he received a reduced sentence of two years in 2019, serving roughly 13 months before an early release in 2020 amid COVID-19 concerns. He was then placed on five years of supervised release, which has been repeatedly violated, leading to several short returns to custody.
With roughly one year of supervised release still remaining — including ongoing drug testing, travel restrictions and other conditions — 6ix9ine is expected to resume monitoring under federal supervision. No new legal incidents were reported immediately following his release.
The MDC Brooklyn, known for its challenging conditions and history of housing high-profile detainees, added a surreal element to the story with the reported interaction between the polarizing rapper and the former Venezuelan leader. As 6ix9ine has done in the past, he is likely to frame the release as a fresh start, with fans and observers speculating on whether new music or further headlines will follow.
