Fetty Wap Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison for Drug Trafficking
The rapper pleaded guilty in August to conspiracy to distribute and possess controlled substances
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Fetty Wap
Fetty Wap is headed to prison on drug charges.
The rapper, whose real name is Willie Maxwell, pleaded guilty in August to conspiracy to distribute and possess controlled substances and was sentenced to six years in prison on Wednesday.
Maxwell, 31, apologized to the judge in court, saying, "Me being selfish in my pride put me in this position today," per the Associated Press. His lawyers argued that he had turned to selling drugs due to a financial strain that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic, the outlet reported.
However, prosecutors argued for a longer sentence for the rapper in a letter to the judge obtained by The New York Times. They alleged that he had used his fame and influence on "young people who admire" him to "glamorize the drug trade."
A rep for the rapper did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. However, his defense attorney Elizabeth Macedonio spoke outside the courthouse, per WABC-TV.
"This is a sad day. This is a kid from Paterson, New Jersey who made it out," said Macedonio, who added that Maxwell "accepts responsibility for his conduct."
The "Trap Queen" rapper has been held in custody since his bail was revoked in August after he threatened to kill a man during a FaceTime call in 2021, which violated the terms of his pretrial release in his drug case.
Fetty Wap was one of six people charged with "conspiring to distribute and possess controlled substances" in October 2021, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Related: Rapper Fetty Wap Arrested for Alleged Drag Racing and DUI in New York
He 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.
The U.S. The Department of Justice said the rapper "was a kilogram-level redistributor" for a drug trafficking organization.
"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, said in a statement at the time.
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