Tekashi 6ix9ine found himself released from prison early in the midst of the pandemic but he's gunning to end his term on supervised release. Per Complex, Judge Paul Engelmayer shot down a request from 6ix9ine's legal team to terminate his five-year sentence on supervised release, citing that he's led a "law-abiding life" since he came home from jail in 2020. 6ix9ine's lawyer said that he's "taken considerable steps to better himself” and it removed himself from social circles with "criminally minded individuals."
Unfortunately for 6ix9ine, that's just not good enough. Judge Paul Engelmayer said that good behavior doesn't count towards an early release. He added that being on a supervised release itself incentivizes defendants like 6ix9ine "to abide by the law." "Although the Court is hopeful that Mr. Hernandez’s choice since his release to abide by the law reflects a durably matured internal compass, the Court today cannot be fully confident that, freed of judicial supervision, he would not lapse," Judge Engelmayer wrote.
Another factor that was considered in the judge's decision is that 6ix9ine hardly completed any hours in the 300 hours of community service that's required under his supervised release. The judge noted that 6ix9ine's only performed 10 hours so far since his 2020 release but the rapper's lawyer cited safety concerns due to his celebrity status and decision to testify against his defendants in the case. Judge Engelmayer believed the concerns were valid. However, he added that there's clearly a means to get these hours completed, if he already completed 10 hours.
Lance Lazarro, 6ix9ine's attorney, said that they thought they had a good shot at terminating his supervised release early. However, he noted that 6ix9ine can file another request to terminate his supervised release later on.
"Look, he’s disappointed,” Lazzaro said. “He thinks that he’s done everything right. But he’ll continue to be on supervised release.”