Fetty Wap sentenced to 6 years in prison on drug trafficking charge
ByTheresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Fetty Wap Fetty Wap attends the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards at Prudential Center on August 26, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for MTV, File)
(Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for MTV, File)
ByTheresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. — A judge on Wednesday sentenced rapper Fetty Wap to six years in prison for his role in a drug-trafficking scheme that brought cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and crack cocaine to parts of New York and New Jersey.
The “Trap Queen” rapper, whose legal name is Willie Junior Maxwell II, pleaded guilty last year to a charge of conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Authorities said Maxwell was “a kilogram-level redistributor for the trafficking organization,” which included five others — including a New Jersey corrections officer.
The sentence handed down by U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert was more than the five years requested by Maxwell’s attorney and less than the minimum seven-and-a-half-year sentence sought by prosecutors. He had faced a maximum sentence of nine years, officials said.
Authorities arrested Maxwell, 31, in October 2021. He has been jailed since August, when he saw his bail revoked after prosecutors said he threatened to kill someone and showed a firearm during a FaceTime call, The New York Times reported.
In a letter filed last week in court, prosecutors asked that Maxwell get a sentence as high as nine years, saying that he “has used, and continues to use, his fame, sizeable platform and influence to glamorize the drug trade.” Authorities specifically noted his use of children in the music video for “Trap Queen.”
Maxwell’s lawyer asked for a sentence of five years, saying that, in the years since his arrest, her client “realizes the terrible mistake he made.”
New Jersey corrections officer Anthony Cyntje, 25, was sentenced in March to six years in prison for his role in the drug trafficking scheme. Anthony Leonardi, 49, Robert Leonardi, 28, Brian Sullivan, 27, and Kavaughn L. “KV” Wiggins, 28, await sentencing.
1 of 11
Photos: Fetty Wap through the years 2015: Fetty Wap performs during Billboard Hot 100 Festival - Day 2 at Nikon at Jones Beach Theater on August 23, 2015, in Wantagh, New York. (Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Billboard)
Photos: Fetty Wap through the years 2015: Rapper Fetty Wap performs onstage during 105.1's Powerhouse 2015 at the Barclays Center on October 22, 2015, in Brooklyn, N.Y. (Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for Power 105.1's Powerhouse 2015)
Photos: Fetty Wap through the years 2016: Singers Aloe Blacc and Tori Kelly and rapper Fetty Wap attend the 2016 Pre-Grammy Gala and Salute to Industry Icons honoring Irving Azoff at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 14, 2016, in Beverly Hills, California. (Larry Busacca/Getty Images for NARAS)
Photos: Fetty Wap through the years 2016: Recording artist Fetty Wap performs onstage at Firefly Music Festival on June 18, 2016, in Dover, Delaware. (Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Firefly)
Photos: Fetty Wap through the years 2017: Fetty Wap attends the Alexander Wang February 2017 fashion show during New York Fashion Week on February 11, 2017, in New York City. (Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
Photos: Fetty Wap through the years 2017: Rapper Fetty Wap walks the runway wearing look No. 16 for the Philipp Plein Fall/Winter 2017/2018 Women's and Men's Fashion Show at the New York Public Library on February 13, 2017, in New York City. (Concordia/Getty Images for Philipp Plein)
Photos: Fetty Wap through the years 2018: Rapper Fetty Wap performs at Irving Plaza on January 20, 2018, in New York City. (Theo Wargo/Getty Images)
Photos: Fetty Wap through the years 2019: Fetty Wap attends the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards at Prudential Center on August 26, 2019, in Newark, New Jersey. (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for MTV)
Photos: Fetty Wap through the years 2019: In this handout photo provided by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, rapper Willie Maxwell, aka Fetty Wap, is seen in a police booking photo after his arrest on three counts of battery September 1, 2019, in Las Vegas. (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department via Getty Images)
Photos: Fetty Wap through the years 2022: Fetty Wap (left) and Monty (right) of the Remy Boyz pose with designer Abby Kheir (center) at the front row for Abyss By Abby 2023 Collection during Paraiso Miami Beach at the Paraiso Tent on July 14, 2022, in Miami Beach, Florida. (Rodrigo Varela/Getty Images for Abyss By Abby)
