Fetty Wap Released from Prison Early After Serving 3 Years for Drug Trafficking Charges By Madison E. Goldberg

Fetty Wap has been released from prison early.

The rapper, 34, whose real name is Willie Junior Maxwell II, was released from prison on Thursday, Jan. 8. Maxwell served over three years of his prison sentence at FCI, Sandstone, a low security facility in Sandstone, Minn., Billboard and The New York Post reported.

The “Trap Queen” rapper pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess controlled substances in August 2022 and was sentenced to six years in prison in May 2023.

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

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PEOPLE has reached out to a representative for Maxwell for comment.

The “My Way” rapper also confirmed his release via his Instagram Stories, where he simply wrote, “HOME” in white text on a black background.

He was transferred to home confinement in Philadelphia, the Bureau of Prisons told TMZ Thursday. He’s set to be released from oversight custody on Nov. 8. However, for the next five years he will have certain restrictions like mandated drug tests and not being allowed to open any new bank accounts without permission from federal agents. He cannot have any substances, such as alcohol, unless it is prescribed by a doctor, per TMZ.

During his sentencing in 2023, Maxwell apologized to the judge and said, “Me being selfish in my pride put me in this position today,” per the Associated Press. His lawyers argued that he had turned to selling drugs due to a financial strain that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic, the outlet reported.  

However, prosecutors argued for a longer sentence for the rapper in a letter to the judge obtained by The New York Times. They alleged that he had used his fame and influence on “young people who admire” him to “glamorize the drug trade.”

The Grammy-nominated artist was held in custody once again before his 2023 sentencing after his bail was revoked in August 2022. In that instance, prosecutors said he threatened to kill a man during a FaceTime call in 2021, which violated the terms of his pretrial release in his drug case.

Fetty Wap was one of six people charged with “conspiring to distribute and possess controlled substances” in October 2021, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

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He and the other men, including a New Jersey corrections officer, distributed more than 100 kilograms of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and crack cocaine across Long Island and New Jersey from June 2019 to June 2020.

The men obtained the narcotics on the West Coast, then used the U.S. Postal Service and drivers with hidden compartments in their vehicles to transport them cross-country, where they were stored in Suffolk County, N.Y., according to the release.

The U.S. The Department of Justice said the rapper “was a kilogram-level redistributor” for a drug trafficking organization.

“The fact that we arrested a chart-topping rap artist and a corrections officer as part of the conspiracy illustrates just how vile the drug trade has become,” Michael Driscoll, FBI assistant director-in-charge, said in a statement at the time.