Everything We Learned at 6ix9ine's Court Hearing

6ix9ine and his co-defendants appeared in court on Monday to face their charges. We were there to see what went down.

Nov 26, 2018
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Getty

Image via Getty/Shareif Ziyadat

6ix9ine getty shareif ziyadat
Getty

Image via Getty/Shareif Ziyadat

On Monday morning at Thurgood Marshall Courthouse in Manhattan, Judge Paul A. Engelmayer presided over a court case that has grabbed the attention of the rap world: the arrest of 6ix9ine and five of his now-former running partners. 

6ix9ine didn't speak other than to acknowledge that he had seen the charges against him. He mostly kept his eyes towards the judge, occasionally looking behind him and yawning. He was represented by Lance Lazarro and a new addition to his legal team, Dawn Florio.

Monday's court hearing followed last week's indictment of 6ix9ine, his former manager Kifano "Shotti" Jordan, and four of their associates on a variety of racketeering-related crimes. The indictment, which you can find here, accuses the defendants of being members of a "criminal organization" known as the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods. One week after their initial indictment, four of the six defendants were in a downtown Manhattan courtroom to be arraigned and determine the next legal steps.

Present—though shackled and in jumpsuits—were 6ix9ine, Shotti, Jamel "Mel Murda" Jones, and Jensel "Ish" Butler. Co-defendant Faheem "Crippy" Walter, it was announced, was in the hospital, facing complications from being shot last month at a dinner meeting between 6ix9ine and his label head Elliot Grainge that turned violent. The other co-defendant, Fuguan Lovick, was locked up on separate charges and was expected to join the other defendants for future proceedings.

The courtroom was about three-fourths full, mostly with friends and family of the defendants. One full row was taken up by media. The government laid out its case, 6ix9ine entered a not guilty plea, and the calendar was set. Here's what we learned on the scene.

The Trial Will Begin in September 2019

This is a photo of 6ix9ine.
Image via Getty/New York Daily News

The U.S. Attorney's Office offered to start the trial in April or May, but the various defense lawyers said they needed more time to prepare, and wanted to wait until the fall. Judge Engelmayer initially offered to split the difference and start in July, but the defense insisted. So jury selection is now set to begin right after Labor Day, on Wednesday, September 4, 2019.

6ix9ine's Instagram Account Will Be Used as Evidence

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Image via Getty/Michael Campanella

When laying out what types of evidence they had, the prosecutors let it be known that they had social media search warrants for 6ix9ine and Walter's Instagram accounts, as well as Walter's Snapchat account. In addition, they had iCloud accounts for most of the defendants "and others," plus email accounts and phones from 6ix9ine and other defendants. 6ix9ine's Instagram account in particular, the government said, was "so voluminous" that they hadn't had a chance to fully go through it yet.

6ix9ine Sat Apart From the Other Defendants

6ix9ine final slides
Image via Getty/Shareif Ziyadat/WireImage

In the courtroom, 6ix9ine sat two rows behind the other defendants, with court personnel in between. Shotti, Butler, and Jones all sat in a row. The rapper appeared to avoid making eye contact with his former associates throughout the proceedings. The defense council, including his, sat at the same table, though. The seating arrangement makes sense, given that according to the FBI, Jones was caught on tape threatening 6ix9ine. 

More Charges Are Likely to Follow

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Image via Getty/Bob Levey

The U.S. Attorney's Office made clear that the initial indictment was by no means the end of the story. Their investigation is continuing, and they plan to add at least one other defendant. In addition, they said they plan to add more counts against Jones in the next few weeks.

There's Still a Long Way to Go

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Image via Getty/Shareif Ziyadat

The outcome of this case is not likely to be known any time soon. The trial is, of course, not expected to even begin until the fall of next year. But Judge Engelmayer, who has presided over other gang-related cases, seemed to expect that some or all of the defendants will plead out before the proceedings even start.

Shotti, despite the judge's prognostication, appeared unbowed. "We don't fold, we don't bend, we don't break," he said as the courtroom was emptying out. "It's Tr3yway."

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