Fetty Wap has been granted an early release from federal prison under provisions of the First Step Act and transferred to community-based confinement, following his 6-year sentence for a multi-kilo drug trafficking conspiracy in New York. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the rapper, born Willie Junior Maxwell II, was moved on January 7, 2026, from FCI Sandstone in Minnesota to community confinement overseen by the Bureau’s Philadelphia Residential Reentry Management Office, where he will remain under home confinement until his projected release from custody on November 8, 2026.[According to 6ABC][1]
Fetty Wap was originally sentenced in May 2023 to six years in prison and five years of post-release supervision after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess and distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine stemming from an October 2021 drug trafficking case in the Eastern District of New York.[According to 6ABC][1] Legal analysts note that his transition from a secure federal facility to community confinement is enabled by earned time credits and reentry provisions under the federal First Step Act, which allow eligible incarcerated people to serve the final portion of their sentence in halfway houses or home confinement if they meet strict program and conduct criteria.[According to Lawyer Monthly][2]
Maxwell’s case has been cited in legal commentary as a high-profile example of how the First Step Act now applies even to defendants convicted of serious federal drug offenses, so long as their underlying conduct does not fall into categories excluded from earned time credits under 18 U.S.C. § 3632(d)(4).[According to Lawyer Monthly][2] His shift to community confinement reflects a broader 2026 federal policy trend that prioritizes structured reintegration through Residential Reentry Centers and home confinement during the final 10–12 months of a sentence, rather than keeping individuals in traditional prison settings for the entire term.[According to Lawyer Monthly][2]
While Fetty Wap remains under the legal custody of the Bureau of Prisons, home confinement means he can begin reestablishing family, career, and community ties under strict monitoring and supervision, rather than behind the wall.[According to Lawyer Monthly][2] For hip-hop, his early release under the First Step Act underscores how evolving federal sentencing and reentry policies are directly impacting artists entangled in the criminal legal system, potentially setting a roadmap for other incarcerated entertainers and paving the way for Fetty Wap’s eventual full return to music and public life once his federal sentence is complete.[According to 6ABC][1]
