The 'Trap Queen' hitmaker confesses that he is guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess controlled substances in both New York and his native New Jersey.
- Aug 23, 2022
AceShowbiz - Fetty Wap may be spending more than five years behind bars. The "Trap Queen" rapper faces a minimum of 5 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess controlled substances.
The 31-year-old hip-hop star issued his plea on Monday, August 22 at the federal courthouse in Central Islip on Long Island. According to the Associated Press, he's now facing a minimum five-year sentence.
During the hearing, according to the report, U.S. Magistrate Judge Steven Locke came to his decision after prosecutors said Fetty, born Willie Junior Maxwell II, threatened to kill a man during a FaceTime call in 2021, violated the terms of his pretrial release in his drug case. No sentencing date has been set.
Fetty was one of six people charged with "conspiring to distribute and possess controlled substances" in October, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice. The "KEKE" spitter and the other men, including a New Jersey corrections officer, allegedly distributed more than 100 kilograms of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and crack cocaine across Long Island and New Jersey from June 2019 to June 2020.
The men allegedly obtained the narcotics on the West Coast, then used the U.S. Postal Service and drivers with hidden compartments in their vehicles to transport them cross-country, where they were stored in Suffolk County, New York, according to the release. "[Fetty] was a kilogram-level redistributor for the trafficking organization," officials said of the rapper's role.
Search warrants yielded the recovery of approximately $1.5 million in cash, 16 kilograms of cocaine, 2 kilograms of heroin, numerous fentanyl pills, two 9mm handguns, a rifle, a .45 caliber pistol, a .40 caliber pistol and ammunition. "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," Michael Driscoll, FBI assistant director-in-charge, stated at the time.
After his drug arrest, Fetty was released on a $500,000 personal recognizance bond. However, earlier this month, the rapper was arrested again for sending death threats during the 2021 FaceTime video call with a man who called him "a rat."
Fetty's attorney, Elizabeth Macedonio, said she believes her client was entrapped on the phone call. "He was very manipulative in trying to get a rise out of Mr. Maxwell, to agitate him in a way no parent would have to face…the death of one's 4-year-old daughter is something no one should use as a ploy," Elizabeth told Judge Steven. The judge said he was sympathetic to anyone who lost a child, but ordered the rapper detained because he was "clearly deploying a gun to threaten to kill someone."
