Fetty Wap faced the music in court Wednesday, and was sentenced to six years in federal prison for his role in a nationwide drug distribution scheme.
A judge in Central Islip on Long Island, New York, handed down the sentence after the rapper pleaded guilty in August 2022, to conspiracy to distribute and possess controlled substances.
As he waited to learn how much time he’d spend in prison, the New Jersey artist, born Willie Junior Maxwell II, apologized for his crimes.
“I hurt my community, people who look up to me, my family and myself. I am truly sorry for any pain I caused,” he said in court Wednesday via NBC News.
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The “Trap Queen” performer’s legal troubles started when he was taken into custody during the Rolling Loud festival in Queens, New York, back in 2021.
He was one of six men indicted for allegedly participating in a scheme to transport large amounts of narcotics from the West Coast to New Jersey and New York.
Four of the men pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. One defendant, who worked as a New Jersey corrections officer, was sentenced to 72 months in prison back in March.
Prosecutors said the defendants used the U.S. Postal Service and drivers with hidden compartments in their vehicles to transport cocaine, heroin and fentanyl, to sell on East Coast streets.
Before accepting a plea deal last August, the 31-year-old performer faced life in prison if the case went to trial and he was convicted.
Following the guilty plea, his lawyers requested the minimum five years in prison, but prosecutors pushed for a longer sentence.
After learning the rapper would receive six years behind bars, his lawyer expressed frustration.
“This is a sad day,” said defense attorney Elizabeth Macedonio. “This is a kid from Paterson, New Jersey who made it out.”
Meanwhile prosecutors said the rapper did the crime and would have to do the time.
“The defendant did actually sell drugs,” said Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher Caffarone.
Before the drug case, Fetty Wap had a string of previous arrests for assault, DUI and drag racing in New York City.
The hip-hop star gained fame in 2015, after his debut single “Trap Queen” climbed to No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.
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