Fetty Wap Sentenced to Six Years in Drug-Trafficking Case

Fetty Wap has been sentenced to six years in prison as the result of the New Jersey rapper pleading guilty to federal drug charges.

On Wednesday (May 24), Judge Joanna Seybert handed down the sentence at the federal court in Central Islip, N.Y., that will find Fetty Wap, born Willie Junior Maxwell,  spending the next half-dozen years in prison, according to the New York Times. The ruling stems from an arrest in October of 2021 when the FBI accused Fetty Wap and five other individuals of distributing over 100 kills of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine and crack cocaine in the New York area.

News of Fetty Wap‘s impending prison time comes directly after a memorandum that was filed by the “Trap Queen” spitter’s attorney, Elizabeth Macedonio, in an attempt to land Fetty a reduced sentence. Filed on May 17, documents obtained by XXL find Fetty Wap’s legal team explaining that he resorted to selling drugs due to the COVID-19 pandemic and requesting a five-year prison sentence.

“In or about 2020, with the coming of the worldwide pandemic, things began to change for Mr. Maxwell,” Fetty Wap‘s attorney writes. “There were no opportunities to perform, thus his income was severely limited. He was sued personally, was going through a divorce, and was involved with a tour manager who was stealing from him. While the bills kept coming in, the money to pay them was running out. At or about the same time, Mr. Maxwell lost his grandparents and several other people who were close to him.”

The memorandum continues: “Depression and panic began to set in. As stated, Mr. Maxwell took enormous pride in his ability to provide for his children and lend support to his other family members. He is described as a people pleaser and a person who gains great satisfaction from taking care of others. Suddenly it felt like life was going in reverse and he became ashamed when he began to struggle to keep up the lifestyle that he created for so many. His judgment became impaired. Desperate to keep up with his financial obligations, Mr. Maxwell became involved in the instant offense for a few months in the spring of 2020.”

Following the original arrest in 2021, Fetty Wap was released on bond only to be apprehended again in August of last year for threatening to kill a man via FaceTime. Within a few weeks, the “679” rhymer pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to distribute at least 500 grams of cocaine, which led to his current sentencing of six years in prison.

XXL has reached out to Fetty Wap‘s team and his attorneys for comment.