Daddy Yankee Manager Raphy Pina Hospitalized on First Day in Prison

A day after Puerto Rico federal judge sentenced Raphy Pina — Daddy Yankee and Natti Natasha‘s manager — to three years and five months in prison on an illegal possession of firearms conviction, the music executive was hospitalized at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Guaynabo after his sugar levels spiked, his lawyers confirmed via Univision Puerto Rico.

One attorney, Javier Micheo, denied rumors that the executive was hurt during a physical fight with another inmate. “Pina’s sugar has risen and that is what has him in the medical unit. He has a room for himself, but he is being watched by a guard,” he told Univision.

The 43-year-old music veteran, who founded Pina Records in 1996, was sentenced to 41 months in prison just five months after he was convicted by a jury on one count of possession of an automatic weapon and another count of possession of firearms by a person convicted of a felony.

In a statement obtained by Billboard on Wednesday (May 25), the law offices of Francisco Rebollo-Casalduc explained that they had filed a notice of appeal after Pina was sentenced by Judge Francisco A. Besosa. The jury had found him guilty of two counts of violations of the Arms Law and he was ordered to pay a $150,000 fine.

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“The next step will be to file a motion with the First Circuit Court of Appeals requesting that our client be allowed to remain free on bond during the appeal process,” Pina’s attorneys said in the statement. “We trust that we will prevail in the appeals process and that eventually, the Court of Appeals will revoke the conviction since our legal arguments are convincing and the errors of the District Court undermined the fairness of the judicial process against Mr. Pina-Nieves.”

According to court documents, Pina was indicted last summer for possession of a “Glock pistol, Model 19, 9mm caliber, which was later modified to automatic, one Smith & Wesson, Model SD40, .40 caliber, and 526 total rounds of live ammunition for handguns, rifles, and shotguns.”

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Jenniffer Sheldon

Update: 2024-03-06

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