Tekashi 6ix9ine plays down gang ties

The defence attorney for Brooklyn rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine says his client is

“completely innocent” of federal racketeering and firearms charges.

The rapper, whose legal name is Daniel Hernandez, is among five people indicted this week on charges that he directed or participated in violent acts as part of a deadly gang known as the 9 Trey Bloods.

The indictment alleges that the violent episodes involving 6ix9ine included the July shooting of a bystander in Brooklyn and the gunpoint robbery of one of the gang’s rivals last spring.

On Wednesday, defence attorney Lance Lazzaro said in a statement that his client was “completely innocent of all charges.”

“An entertainer who portrays a ’gangster image’ to promote his music does not make him a member of an enterprise,” Lazzaro said.