Another day, another new development in Tekashi 6ix9ine’s federal case. Earlier this week, we reported one of the co-defendants was sentenced to 62-months in jail for his involvement in an armed robbery last year. Many of the defendants chose to cop deals in the case instead of moving forward with the trial except for two of them.

Anthony “Harv” Ellison is accused of carrying out the kidnapping of 6ix9ine that occurred in 2018. Ellison is allegedly responsible for kidnapping, assaulting, and robbing the rapper for a bunch of jewelry. But his lawyer doesn’t actually buy it.

“No robbery or kidnapping or assault happened,” Deveraux Cannick told reporters outside of the courtroom, according to Complex. “It didn’t happen. He had an event that made it look like a robbery or kidnapping.”

New court documents revealed that the incident was caught on surveillance footage which Cannick believes will ultimately work out in their favor during the trial. “They’re saying the car [where the kidnapping allegedly occurred] was wired by the government,” he added. “We believe that’s going to be very helpful to the defense.”

Cannick claims that the whole incident was essentially staged in order to promote 6ix9ine’s album which isn’t unrealistic. After documents revealed that 6ix9ine put money on Ellison’s head, Cannick also said that it was just for show. He has the resources, and apparently he had access to individuals who would carry it out,” he said. “You have to wonder whether or not it was real.”

The rapper is a cooperating witness as the case against two of his former Nine Trey affiliates proceeds to trial next month (a number of others charged in the case have already pleaded guilty). On July 22 of last year, 6ix9ine was reportedly abducted, forced into a car, assaulted, and robbed of hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of jewelry.

At Friday’s hearing, Ellison was charged with a new crime: a slashing that took place on October 24, 2018 in the Brooklyn housing project colloquially known as “Smurf Village.” The attack, Assistant United States Attorney Michael Longyear contended, was “related to a leadership dispute among members of Nine Trey.” Cannick is attempting to keep a photograph of the victim, who was slashed across the face, out of the trial.

At the hearing, it became clear that the remaining defendant in the case besides Ellison, Aljermiah “Nuke” Mack, would not be pleading out. His counsel agreed with the judge that it was “fairly certain” Mack would join Ellison at trial. The trial’s start date was delayed a week so that Cannick can investigate the October slashing incident. It will now begin on September 16.