Fetty Wap Is Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison for Running Drugs
Fetty Wap, a New Jersey rapper who shot to fame with his hit “Trap Queen,” an ode to a romance entangled in the drug trade, was sentenced to six years in federal prison on Wednesday for trafficking narcotics across the country.
The singer, whose legal name is Willie Junior Maxwell II, 31, had been in custody since his bail was revoked in August, after prosecutors said he had, while on a FaceTime call, displayed a firearm and threatened to kill someone. He subsequently pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.
On Wednesday, he appeared before Judge Joanna Seybert at the federal court in Central Islip, N.Y., to receive a sentence one year longer than the minimum. Mr. Maxwell waved to about 20 family members and friends who attended the sentencing as he entered the courtroom wearing a beige jumpsuit, his dreadlocks pulled back from his face.
His lawyer, Elizabeth Macedonio, argued that Mr. Maxwell had been supporting many relatives and children and that he had needed money to sustain them once the pandemic ended live entertainment. Mr. Maxwell himself apologized to the communities and families of drug users he hurt.
