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The “Trap Queen” rapper, whose legal name is
William Maxwell, admitted to distributing 25 kilograms (55
pounds) of cocaine. Prosecutors said he was part of a crew that
also sold heroin, fentanyl and crack cocaine across Long Island
and New Jersey between June 2019 and June 2020.
Maxwell apologized during a sentencing hearing before U.S.
District Judge Joanna Seybert in Central Islip, N.Y. He said he
was motivated by a desire to provide for his family while his
income from live performances dried up during the pandemic.
“I only ever wanted to do right by my family and loved ones,”
Maxwell said, clad in a beige jumpsuit before a packed gallery
of friends, family and business associates.
Maxwell’s lawyer Elizabeth Macedonio urged Seybert to judge her
client not by his songs -- which she conceded glamorized drugs
and violence -- but rather by a slew of testimonials to his
qualities as a father and family man.
Prosecutor Christopher Caffarone countered that Maxwell engaged
in a serious criminal conspiracy and was accused of threatening
another man with a gun while on bail.
Prosecutors had asked for a sentence of up to nine years, while
Maxwell sought the minimum sentence of five years.
Seybert said a stiff sentence was appropriate given the severity
of Maxwell's crimes.
(Reporting by Jack Queen; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
(Photo: 2019 MTV Video Music Awards - Arrivals - Prudential
Center, Newark, New Jersey, U.S., August 26, 2019 - Fetty Wap.
REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs)
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