Harking back tothrough the events leading up to this moment, Hernandez was initially arrested in November 2018 along with members of the Nine Trey Bloods in connection to several alleged federal crimes committed by the gang. Though he initially plead not guilty to the federal charges presented against him, he switched the plea in late January amid information from prosecutors that his former gang affiliates may have been plotting a hit against him. The high-profile case hit its publicly sensational climax when Hernandez took the witness stand to testify for three consecutive days. As reported by several in-court sources, the 23-year-old named Nine Trey Blood members that were present in two of his viral music videos. To the harsh criticism of hip-hop fans, Hernandez also called out a handful of music industry counterparts that he alleged had membership within other Blood gang sets, including Casanova, Cardi B, Trippie Redd and Jim Jones. 

Before announcing the sentence, Judge Engelmayer outlined the slew of heinously violent acts at the hands of Nine Trey Blood gang members that Hernandez was connected to and involved with. From the shootout that targeted the entourage of 20-year-old rapper Trippie Redd in November of 2017 to Hernandez’s admission to attempted murder in April of 2018, Engelmayer asserted that he employed “Nine Trey as a potent means of getting even with [his] rivals.” 

He also attributed the Nine Trey Bloods’ targets on music industry members, namely Casanova and Chief Keef, directly to Hernandez’s involvement with the gang. “Before you, the gang didn't fight with rap entourages,” he stated, according to Inner City Press. “They had no independent interest in going after musicians and their management groups… The attacks would not have happened without you.”

In addressing Hernandez’s claim that he was influenced and misguided by the elders of his neighborhood, Engelmayer also recalled Hernandez’s statements from his 2015 child sex charge. “Your first crime, use of a child in a sexual performance, you said the same thing; that older acquaintances were having sexual intercourse with the underaged girl,” he stated. “That excuse may have worked once, but it doesn't work twice.” The judge ultimately deemed the 23-year-old’s decision to join the Nine Trey Bloods “unnecessary” given his status as a famous rap artist before his initiation, and thus stated, “That excuse is not available to you.”

In recognition of Hernandez’s cooperation with federal prosecutors, however, Engelmayer acknowledged that the “GUMMO” rapper informed the government of previously unknown gang-related incidents and aided in taking down other gang members beyond those named in his testimonies. Though Engelmayer revealed that he’d been privy to the social media hailstorm that followed Hernandez’s three-day testimonies, and even “appreciated the memes” while receiving them in good fun, his concern lies with the dangers Hernandez and his Nine Trey affiliates’ violent incidents presented to innocent bystanders and the public at large. 

Engelmayer reiterated several times that time served, which Hernandez’s team requested for sentencing amid his cooperation, was not severe enough to sanction the crimes he committed. “So far, your story appears to prove that there is no such thing as bad publicity... In the end my judgment is that 13 months is not enough,” he said, as reported by Inner City Press.

In addition to his 24 months in prison, Engelmayer also imposed 300 hours of community service and a $35,000 fine upon his release.  

See Judge Engelmayer’s opening sentiments before the decision, as reported by Inner City Press, below: