Fetty Wap’s legal team is asking for the minimum sentence in the artist’s federal drug case.
As first reported by Billboard’s Bill Donahue on Thursday, lawyers have asked for the minimum five-year sentence following Fetty Wap’s August 2022 guilty plea. In a recent filing, lawyers note the unique nature of Fetty’s “motivation” in his actions, noting that he was pushed to make this “terrible mistake” due to financial strain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Suddenly it felt like life was going in reverse and he became ashamed when he began to struggle to keep up the lifestyle that he created for so many,” his lawyers have argued. “His judgment became impaired. Desperate to keep up with his financial obligations, Mr. Maxwell became involved in the instant offense for a few months in the spring of 2020.”
Complex has reached out to a rep for Fetty Wap for comment. This story may be updated.
Last August, Fetty made a federal court appearance in Long Island during which he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess and distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. The plea followed his October 2021 arrest and indictment alongside five other defendants, including a New Jersey corrections officer.
“These defendants ran a multimillion-dollar bicoastal drug distribution organization with Suffolk County as their home base,” Timothy D. Sini, who was then serving as Suffolk County District Attorney, said when announcing the unsealed indictment in the highly publicized drug case. “They were wholesale drug dealers who pumped massive quantities of narcotics into our communities.”
Fetty Wap's sentencing in the case is expected to take place later this month.
