Report: 6ix9ine associate receives 20-year prison sentence
Aaron “Bat” Young is the latest member of Nine Trey Bloods to face lengthy prison time.
A former associate of rapper-turned-federal witness 6ix9ine has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, Complex reports. Aaron “Bat” Young pled guilty to racketeering charges after his arrest in April, when he was taken into custody along with 6ix9ine and other members of the gang Nine Trey Bloods.
Young was reportedly a key player in the trafficking of fentanyl run by Nine Trey Bloods — Kristian "CEO Kris" Cruz, who allegedly co-managed the gang's fentanyl outfit, joined 6ix9ine in testifying against Nine Trey members Anthony "Harv" Ellison and Aljermiah "Nuke" Mack. Young also reportedly shot Shane "Snow Billy" Hardy in the neck in an attempted hit in January 2018.
Arguing for leniency, Young's attorney reportedly characterized his client as a man who "played a real parental role in the lives of kids," and claimed he had been manipulated by Cruz and Nine Trey chieftain Jamel "Mel Murda" Jones. Judge Paul Engelmayer rejected the argument, reportedly saying "A lower sentence would not capture the horrors of the crimes you committed."
2019 has seen a number of 6ix9ine's former associates sentenced to prison. Anthony "Harv" Ellison and Aljermiah "Nuke" Mack were found guilty of racketeering and weapons charges after high-profile testimony from 6ix9ine; Roland "Ro Murda" Martin pled guilty to racketeering and had his 90 month sentence reduced to 60 months after he was attacked in prison, and; Jamel "Mel Murda" Jones recieved 11 years after being found guilty of racketeering and narcotics distribution.