Rapper Fetty Wap sentenced to 6 years in prison in federal drug distribution case

Rapper Fetty Wap was sentenced Wednesday in New York to six years in prison and five years of post-release supervision after he pleaded guilty in his federal drug-distribution case.

The hip-hop star, whose real name is William Junior Maxwell II, pleaded guilty in August to conspiracy to distribute cocaine, which carries a mandatory five-year minimum prison sentence.

The "Trap Queen" and "My Way" emcee was a member of an organization that distributed more than 100 kilograms (approximately 220 pounds) of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and crack cocaine across Long Island and New Jersey from June 2019 through June 2020, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of New York.

The 31-year-old New Jersey resident was "a kilogram-level redistributor for the trafficking organization," federal prosecutors said. His co-defendant, N.J. corrections officer Anthony Cyntje, 25, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert in March to 72 months’ imprisonment for his role in the drug trafficking conspiracy. Cyntje transported cocaine from Long Island, N.Y., to New Jersey, prosecutors said.

Their remaining four co-defendants — Anthony Leonardi, 49; Robert Leonardi, 28; Brian Sullivan, 27; and Kavaughn Wiggins, 28 — also pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.

Court documents in the case claimed that the defendants obtained the narcotics on the West Coast and used the U.S. Postal Service and drivers with hidden vehicle compartments to transport the substances across the country to Suffolk County in New York, where they were stored.

The drugs were then distributed to dealers, who sold them on Long Island and in New Jersey, the statement said. Five of the defendants also used firearms to protect their drug organization and distribution chain.

About $1.5 million in cash, 16 kilograms (about 35 pounds) of cocaine, 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of heroin, numerous fentanyl pills, two 9-millimeter handguns, a rifle, a .40-caliber pistol and ammunition were recovered when search warrants were executed during the investigation, the statement said.

Fetty Wap was initially arrested on his way to Rolling Loud in New York in October 2021 on charges that he allegedly participated in a conspiracy to smuggle large amounts of heroin, fentanyl and other drugs into the New York City area. He entered his guilty plea in August 2022 after prosecutors said he threatened to kill a man during a FaceTime call in 2021, violating the terms of his pretrial release in his drug case. His bond was revoked, and a judge sent him to jail.

Federal prosecutors had argued for a sentence of at least seven to nine years, claiming his involvement in the drug trafficking organization flooded Long Island with cocaine, TMZ reported.

According to XXL, his legal team recommended a five-year sentence, and his attorney, Elizabeth Macedonio, argued in a May 17 memorandum that his “instant offense” stemmed from “depression” and was compounded by “financial obligations” that were exacerbated at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Macedonio did not immediately respond Wednesday to The Times' request for comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.