Fetty Wap is facing up to five years in federal prison on drug charges

The rapper pleaded guilty to the charges on Monday in Long Island

Fetty Wap is facing up to five years in federal prison on drug charges
Fetty Wap Photo: Dia Dipasupil

Despite the enduring lyrics to his 2015 anthem “Trap Queen,” rapper Fetty Wap will not be getting high with his baby (let alone baking pies with her) for the foreseeable future. The rapper has officially pled guilty to a federal drug charge carrying a minimum five-year prison sentence. The plea was entered on Monday in the Eastern District of New York’s Long Island courthouse, per The Washington Post.

The guilty plea arrives two weeks after U.S. Magistrate Judge Steven Locke revoked a previously granted $500,000 bond. The rapper (real name Willie Junior Maxwell II) was arrested on August 8 on charges that he violated the conditions of his release. Per an affidavit, Maxwell made a FaceTime call to an undisclosed recipient wherein he threatened their life and brandished a weapon.

Since his August arrest, Maxwell has remained in custody; estimated guidelines for his sentencing suggest somewhere between seven and nine years. Two of the other defendants in the case pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess controlled substances, while another confessed to using firearms in connection with drug trafficking. Although Maxwell initially maintained innocence, he has since pleaded guilty to the first distribution count.

Maxwell’s initial legal troubles stem from an October federal indictment that saw Maxwell hit with distribution charges alongside six other defendants. The indictment states that Maxwell and the others distributed more than 100 kilograms of narcotics allegedly obtained on the West Coast—the drugs in question included cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl. Maxwell was subsequently arrested shortly before a scheduled performance at the Rolling Loud festival in New York.

At the time of Maxwell’s arrest, Michael Driscoll, the assistant director of the FBI’s New York field office, opined that “the fact that we arrested a chart-topping rap artist and a corrections officer as part of the conspiracy illustrates just how vile the drug trade has become.” For his own part, Maxwell shared a message to his Instagram stating that “loyalty can be both a great trait and a deadly one.” Although it’s unclear exactly what led Maxwell to change his plea, the murkily philosophical nature of the post suggests there may be more complexities beneath the surface of the case.

 
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