Previous Sex Case Off-Limits To Defense

It’s almost time for Tekashi 69 to take the stand as a witness in the racketeering case against his former Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods associates and according to Complex, Tekashi and the prosecution received a huge break in court earlier today when the judge ruled that the defense cannot bring up his previous sex crime conviction or the accusations of abuse leveled against him by an ex.

Tekashi was convicted of using a minor in a sexual performance in 2015 after posting an explicit video to Instagram of two men engaged in sexual activity with a 13-year-old girl. US Attorney Geoffrey Berman argued that mentioning the case could unfairly bias a jury against his potential testimony against the Nine Treys. Tekashi brokered a plea deal to testify against them in exchange for a reduced sentence in his own conviction for racketeering and other violent crimes.

The defense in the case wanted to use Tekashi’s later media statements about the sex case to cast doubt on the veracity of his testimony, given he “lied” about the case in the media on several occasions. The judge, Paul Engelmayer, ruled that the defense can only mention that 69 was previously convicted of a felony, but cannot mention the details of the case, nor can the defense bring up the more recent reports of abuse allegations against the rapper by his ex-girlfriend Sara Molina. Partial lyrics from his songs, however, will be permissible, since he mentions the gang and their violent activities in lines from songs like “Billy,” “Gummo,” and “Kooda.”

The trial will be on September 16, after one final pre-trial hearing on September 10.