On Monday, Kintea "Kooda B" McKenzie, became the eighth defendant in the 6ix9ine racketeering case to plead guilty, according to court documents. The defendant appeared in Manhattan District Court for his alleged connection to the shooting of Chief Keef outside the W Hotel in Times Square. McKenzie pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Kooda allegedly accepted a $10,000 payment from 6ix9ine for carrying out the shooting in June 2018. In his guilty plea in January, 6ix9ine admitted to his role in the attack and named McKenzie as the shooter. However, in February, Kooda was granted bail despite the mounting evidence against him. Unlike many of the other defendants in the case, McKenzie is not suspected of being a member of the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods.
“Today, Kintea McKenzie admitted his responsibility for a brazen shooting in bustling Times Square," U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said. "In coordination with Tekashi 6ix9ine and other Nine Trey gang members, McKenzie arranged to have another individual shoot at a rival gang member. 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.”
In April, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Longyear revealed that while examining security footage from the shooting, someone can be seen discarding a water bottle from the suspect's vehicle. After authorities located the water bottle, they tested it for evidence and confirmed that McKenzie's DNA had been "included" on the bottle. When asked to elaborate, Longyear said the chances of the DNA belonging to someone other than McKenzie were "a trillion to one."
Longyear also confirmed that more guilty pleas may be coming. "We are engaged in active plea discussions with several of the defendants," he explained. The next court date where all defendants are expected to appear is Aug. 21. In July, five of the 11 defendants will be handed their sentences, whereas 6ix9ine is expected to be sentenced in January of next year.
Kooda's sentencing is set for Oct. 4 2019.
