Daijiworld Media Network – New York
New York, Jan 9: American rapper Fetty Wap has been released early from prison after spending nearly three years in custody, US media reported.
The 34-year-old artiste, whose real name is Willie Junior Maxwell II, was transferred to community confinement on January 7, a spokesperson for the US Bureau of Prisons (BOP) confirmed. He has been incarcerated since August 2022 and was sentenced in 2023 to six years in prison.
According to BOP officials, Fetty Wap’s confinement is now being overseen by the Philadelphia Residential Reentry Management Office. “Community confinement means the inmate is either in home confinement or a Residential Reentry Center (halfway house),” the spokesperson said.
Fetty Wap acknowledged his release with a brief Instagram update on January 8, posting the word “home”. His projected full release date remains November 8.
The US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York declined to comment on the development.
In a statement issued through his publicist Abesi Manyando, Fetty Wap thanked his supporters. “I want to thank my family, friends and fans for the love, prayers and continued support — it truly means everything to me,” he said.
He added that his focus would now be on community work. “I’m committed to giving back through my foundation, supporting at-risk children by expanding access to education, early tech skills and vision care,” the rapper said.
Fetty Wap was born with congenital glaucoma and lost his left eye. In earlier interviews, he had spoken about discontinuing the use of a prosthetic eye during childhood.
Fetty Wap was one of six defendants named in an indictment unsealed in October 2021, accused of running a multimillion-dollar bi-coastal drug distribution network. Prosecutors said the group transported narcotics from the US West Coast using the postal service and vehicles with hidden compartments.
Authorities alleged that more than 100 kilograms of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and crack cocaine were distributed across Long Island and New Jersey between June 2019 and June 2020.
Maxwell was arrested on October 28, 2021, and later released on a $500,000 bond after pleading not guilty. He was remanded back to custody in August 2022, and subsequently pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine. He was sentenced nine months later to six years in prison along with five years of supervised release.
Despite his incarceration, Fetty Wap continued to release music, including his album “King Zoo” in 2023, and singles such as “Forever (71943509)” and “Lil Sexy”, released in 2024.