> At a Glance
> – Fetty Wap has been moved from federal prison to home confinement after serving roughly half of a six-year drug-trafficking sentence
> – The Trap Queen rapper was released from Federal Correctional Institution Sandstone in Minnesota on Wednesday and is now overseen by a Philadelphia bureau office
> – Authorities have not disclosed why he qualified for early release
> – Why it matters: The high-profile case highlights how federal prisoners can secure early transfer to community confinement, even in large-scale narcotics conspiracies
New Jersey rapper Fetty Wap (real name Willie Maxwell) is back home after spending a little more than three years behind bars for helping run a coast-to-coast drug ring. His discharge to home confinement marks a sharp turn in a case that once carried a mandatory minimum of five years.
From Chart-Topper to Convict
The 31-year-old artist had been locked up since August 2022, when a Long Island judge revoked his $500,000 bail for allegedly threatening to kill someone while awaiting trial. He had pleaded guilty a month earlier to conspiracy to distribute heroin, fentanyl, and crack cocaine.
Court papers said Maxwell and five co-defendants:
- Shipped more than 100 kg of narcotics from the West Coast
- Used the U.S. Postal Service and cars with hidden traps
- Stored the loads on Long Island before moving product to New Jersey
A federal judge in May 2023 sentenced him to six years; Wednesday’s transfer trims that to roughly three served.
Life After Lock-Up
Maxwell will finish his sentence under community supervision run out of the Bureau of Prisons’ Philadelphia Residential Reentry Office. His publicist, Abesi Manyando, confirmed he is now in New Jersey but declined to give an exact location.
In a statement released by Manyando, Maxwell said his focus is on:
- Launching community initiatives and a charitable foundation
- Supporting at-risk youth with education, tech skills, and vision care
- Moving forward “with purpose and making a meaningful impact”
Timeline of the Case
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| June 2019 – June 2020 | Drug ring allegedly operates |
| October 2021 | Maxwell arrested |
| August 2022 | Pleads guilty; bail revoked |
| May 2023 | Sentenced to 6 years |
| August 2023 | Transferred to home confinement |
Key Takeaways
- Fetty Wap is officially in home confinement, cutting his six-year federal sentence nearly in half
- The Bureau of Prisons did not specify whether he earned early release through a program or other administrative action
- The rapper says he will now concentrate on youth-oriented charity work in New Jersey
His return home ends a streak of negative headlines that began at the height of his Billboard success and now opens a new chapter focused on community outreach rather than chart positions.
