In an unexpected twist of fate, an unusual friendship seems to have formed behind bars.
Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine recently boasted about obtaining the autograph of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on a SpongeBob SquarePants doll while both were detained at a federal facility in New York City.
The 29-year-old artist walked out of Brooklyn’s infamous Metropolitan Detention Center early Friday morning. To mark his release, he proudly showcased what he claims to be Maduro’s signature, along with his signature extravagant jewelry.
In a video shared on Tekashi’s Instagram, the rapper is seen clutching a stack of documents in one hand and the beloved Nickelodeon character toy in the other, celebrating his newfound freedom after his latest incarceration.
“Look, Maduro signed it,” Tekashi exclaimed, eagerly displaying the autograph to his friends. “Maduro, second of April, Venezuela forever.”
Maduro was detained at the MDC in January after being captured by U.S. forces in Caracas.
Tekashi, whose real name is Daniel Hernandez, reported to MDC in January after he violated the terms of his probation by assaulting a man and stashing MDMA and cocaine in his bedroom.
He was originally sent to the clink in 2019 for his involvement in the violent Nine Trey Gangsta Blood gang – but was cut loose early because of COVID.
The flamboyant musician’s lawyer and the Bureau of Prisons both confirmed to TMZ that he was released Friday morning predawn.
As he stepped back into freedom, he was gifted a nearly 400-carat chain that weighs more than four pounds, according to the outlet.
Tekashi claimed on the Instagram post the necklace cost more than $2 million.
“Fresh OUT THE FEDS $2,200,000 on my neck. GOD IS THE GREATEST. MY LORD AND SAVIOR,” he said before adding, “MADURO SIGNED MY JAIL HOUSE SPONGE9INE.”
The federal jailhouse has held a who’s who of federal inmates over the years, including alleged CEO shooter Luigi Mangione, Diddy, R. Kelly and Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as Maduro and his wife.
The couple are facing charges of drug-trafficking.
