Fetty Wap released early from U.S. federal prison

U.S. rapper Fetty Wap arrives for the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on August 26, 2019. (Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)

Rapper Fetty Wap has been released early from a U.S. federal jail, almost three years after he was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute cocaine.

The “Trap Queen” singer, whose legal name is Willie Junior Maxwell II, was sentenced by a New York court to six years in prison and five years of post-release supervision in May 2023.

However, Fetty Wap was moved out of a federal prison in Sandstone, Minnesota, on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the US Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) confirmed to CNN Friday.

He was “transferred on January 7, 2026, from the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Sandstone to community confinement” overseen by the BOP’s Philadelphia Residential Reentry Management Office, the spokesperson said in a statement.

Fetty Wap is now under home confinement, his publicist confirmed to CNN Friday.

The date of the 34-year-old’s release from confinement is projected for later this year, on November 8, according to the law enforcement agency.

“I want to thank my family, friends, and fans for the love, prayers, and continued support — it truly means everything to me,” the rapper said in a statement shared with CNN Friday.

“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,” the statement continues.

“I’m committed to moving forward with purpose and making a meaningful impact where it matters most,” the statement adds.

“Fetty Wap is in good spirits,” his publicist, Abesi Manyando, told CNN. “He is in a focused, grounded place. His priorities are his family, fatherhood, music and being an asset to his community.”

She added that “during his incarceration he gained a deeper clarity around how intentional he wants to be about creating pathways for long-term success — especially for at-risk youth.”

Fetty Wap was arrested in New York City in October 2021 and indicted on a drug trafficking conspiracy charge, along with five others.

He pleaded not guilty and was released from custody on a US$500,000 bond the following month as he awaited trial.

However, the rapper’s bond was revoked in August 2022. Prosecutors accused him of violating the conditions in the release order, which included not possessing a firearm, by allegedly showing a gun and threatening to kill a man on a FaceTime call.

Later that August, Fetty Wap pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess and distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.

By Amarachi Orie, CNN