Rapper Fetty Wap released from prison early in drug trafficking case

NEW YORK (AP) — Rapper Fetty Wap has been released from a federal prison to home confinement after serving just over half a six-year sentence for his role in a New York-based drug trafficking scheme.

The federal Bureau of Prisons said the “Trap Queen” rapper, whose legal name is Willie Maxwell, was discharged from Federal Correctional Institution Sandstone in Minnesota on Wednesday and transferred to community confinement overseen by a bureau office in Philadelphia. The agency did not say why he was released early or if he participated in an early release program.

The New Jersey-born rapper thanked his family, friends and fans for their support in a statement released by his publicist, Abesi Manyando. She said he’s now in New Jersey, but did not say exactly where.

He had been detained since August 2022, when a judge revoked the $500,000 bail he posted after prosecutors said he threatened to kill a man, violating the terms of his pretrial release. He was initially arrested in October 2021, pleaded guilty in August 2022 to a conspiracy drug charge and sentenced in May 2023 by a federal judge on Long Island, New York.

Fetty Wap and five co-defendants were accused of conspiring to possess and distribute more than 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of heroin, fentanyl and crack cocaine between June 2019 and June 2020. Prosecutors said they used the U.S. Postal Service and cars with hidden compartments to move drugs from the West Coast to Long Island, where they were stored for distribution to dealers on Long Island and in New Jersey.

“Right now, my focus is on giving back through my community initiatives and foundation, supporting at-risk young children by expanding access to education, early tech skills, and vision care for young kids and students so they can show up as their best selves. I’m committed to moving forward with purpose and making a meaningful impact where it matters most,” the rapper’s statement said.