Fetty Wap has been released from prison early after spending the past three years behind bars.
The 34-year-old “Trap Queen” rapper is no longer in custody, having been transferred to community confinement on Jan. 7, a spokesperson for the U.S. Bureau of Prisons confirmed to USA TODAY. He has been incarcerated since August 2022 and was sentenced the following year to six years in prison.
His confinement is overseen by the BOP’s Philadelphia Residential Reentry Management Office, spokesperson Emery Nelson said, noting, “Community confinement means the inmate is in either home confinement or a Residential Reentry Center (RRC, or halfway house).”
Fetty Wap, whose real name is Willie Junior Maxwell II, shared an update with his social media followers on Jan. 8, simply writing “home” in an Instagram story.
Maxwell’s projected release date is Nov. 8.
When reached by USA TODAY, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York declined comment.
In a statement issued to USA TODAY by his publicist, Abesi Manyando, Maxwell said, “I want to thank my family, friends, and fans for the love, prayers, and continued support — it truly means everything to me.”
“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,” he continued. “I’m committed to moving forward with purpose and making a meaningful impact where it matters most.”
Maxwell was born with congenital glaucoma and lost his left eye. In a 2016 interview with The Guardian, he said he had stopped using his prosthetic eye during childhood.
The Shade Room was first to share Maxwell’s post-release comments.
Fetty Wap was accused of being part of a multimillion-dollar drug organization
Maxwell was one of six defendants who were accused in an indictment, which was unsealed in October 2021, of operating a “multimillion-dollar bicoastal drug distribution organization,” that used the U.S. Postal Service and vehicles with hidden compartments to transport the narcotics from the West Coast, according to prosecutors.
U.S. attorneys said the group distributed more than 100 kilograms of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and crack cocaine between June 2019 and June 2020 across Long Island and New Jersey.
Maxwell was arrested on Oct. 28, 2021 and later released on a $500,000 bond after pleading not guilty to the criminal charges. However, the judge ordered him back into detention in August 2022; weeks later, he entered a guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute cocaine.
Nine months later, he was sentenced to six years in prison as well as five years of supervised release. All of Maxwell’s codefendants entered guilty pleas in their respective cases, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
Maxwell has continued to release new music while incarcerated, most recently dropping his single “Forever(71943509)” in May, followed by the track “Lil Sexy” with Doe Boy on June 13. He also came out with a full-length album, “King Zoo,” in 2023.