Rapper Fetty Wap pleads guilty in federal drug case
CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. - Rapper and New Jersey native Fetty Wap pleaded guilty on Monday in federal court in New York to a conspiracy drug charge and now faces at least five years in prison.
Federal authorities first arrested Wap, whose real name is Willie Junior Maxwell II, last October on federal charges of participating in a conspiracy to smuggle large amounts of heroin, fentanyl, and other drugs into the New York City area. He was later released on bond.
But two weeks ago, U.S. Magistrate Judge Steven Locke revoked Wap's bond and ordered back behind bars for violating the terms of his pretrial release.
The FBI claimed Wap threatened to kill a person while on a FaceTime video call in 2021. During the call, Fetty Wap repeatedly threatened, "I'm going to kill you" while pointing a gun at the screen, according to the affidavit. After the man on the other end of the call called Fetty a rat, the rapper said, "Your man is a rat," according to the affidavit.
Prosecutors say the proof in the original case was overwhelming.
On Monday, Wap faced the same magistrate in Central Islip and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess controlled substances, the top charge in the indictment. That charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison. But federal sentencing guidelines are likely to recommend additional years in prison.
Federal authorities accused Wap and five co-defendants of conspiring to possess and distribute more than 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of heroin, fentanyl and crack cocaine between June 2019 and June 2020. The scheme allegedly involved using 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, prosecutors said.
Wap, whose hometown is Paterson, is perhaps best known for his hit "Trap Queen," which reached No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in May 2015.
With The Associated Press.