Update, November 5: Fetty Wap has been released on a $500,000 secured bond, following Judge Joanna Seybert’s decision, authorities said Friday. While out on bond, he will be under GPS monitoring and subject to random drug testing. He must also surrender his passport, though he will be able to travel if he gets permission from pretrial services and federal prosecutors.
Update, October 29, 1:15 p.m.: A press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office confirmed that Fetty Wap, a.k.a. William Junior Maxwell II, along with five other individuals, has been charged with “conspiring to distribute and possess controlled substances.” In particular, Fetty Wap “was a kilogram-level redistributor for the trafficking organization,” per the press release. According to a September indictment obtained by Vulture, at least five kilograms of cocaine can be attributed to Fetty Wap and his alleged co-conspirator, Anthony Cyntje, identified as a New Jersey correction officer. (Fetty Wap is also from New Jersey, while the other individuals charged span New York and Pennsylvania.) The press release said authorities seized a total of 16 kilograms of cocaine, along with two kilograms of heroin, fentanyl pills, five guns, and around $1.5 million in cash.
The five other individuals charged, including Cyntje, have already been arraigned over the past month and are all being detained ahead of trial. Those five are also facing charges related to the firearms. All six could face a maximum sentence of life in prison on the charges. “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,” said Michael J. Driscoll, assistant director-in-charge at the New York Field Office of the FBI.
Fetty Wap’s arraignment is set for this afternoon, in front of Magistrate Judge Steven J. Locke. Meanwhile, a representative for Rolling Loud told Vulture the festival “had no prior knowledge” of the artist’s arrest.
Original story follows.
Hours before he was set to perform at Rolling Loud New York on October 28, Fetty Wap was arrested by the FBI. A law enforcement source confirmed to Vulture that the rapper was taken into custody on federal drug charges at Citi Field in Queens, where he was set to hit the stage at 4:45 p.m. Fetty is due to appear in federal court in Central Islip, New York, on October 29. The New York Daily News reported that the rapper was one of six arrested in a drug distribution scheme. Representatives for Fetty Wap did not respond to requests for comment.
Fetty Wap’s arrest is not the first time law enforcement has descended on the major hip-hop festival. In 2019, Kodak Black was arrested on weapons charges ahead of his performance at Rolling Loud Miami. He was sentenced to 46 months on federal charges, but Donald Trump later commuted the sentence hours before the end of his presidency. This year’s festival marks the second iteration of Rolling Loud New York, after the festival debuted in 2019 and took 2020 off because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Victoria Bekiempis contributed reporting.
