Unlikely alliances can form in unexpected places.
On Friday, rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine proudly shared that Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro had signed his SpongeBob SquarePants toy while both were in a New York federal prison.
The 29-year-old artist was freed early Friday from Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center and celebrated by showing off Maduro’s signature along with some expensive jewelry.
In a video on Tekashi’s Instagram page, he is seen holding papers in one hand and the Nickelodeon toy in the other, as he exits the facility following his recent incarceration.
“Look, Maduro signed it,” Tekashi exclaimed, showing off the autograph to his friends. “Maduro, second of April, Venezuela forever.”
Maduro has been at the Metropolitan Detention Center since January, after being captured in Caracas by U.S. forces.
Tekashi, also known as Daniel Hernandez, was taken to the center in January for violating his probation terms by assaulting someone and possessing MDMA and cocaine in his home.
He was initially jailed in 2019 for his role in the Nine Trey Gangsta Blood gang but was released early due to COVID-19.
His lawyer and the Bureau of Prisons both confirmed to TMZ that he was released early Friday morning.
Upon his release, he was gifted a nearly 400-carat chain that weighs over four pounds, according to reports.
On Instagram, Tekashi claimed the necklace was worth over $2 million.
“Fresh OUT THE FEDS $2,200,000 on my neck. GOD IS THE GREATEST. MY LORD AND SAVIOR,” he stated, adding, “MADURO SIGNED MY JAIL HOUSE SPONGE9INE.”
The Metropolitan Detention Center has housed numerous notable inmates over the years, including alleged CEO shooter Luigi Mangione, Diddy, R. Kelly, and Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, alongside Maduro and his wife.
The couple faces drug-trafficking charges.
